Daydreams
by William 'Thundergod' Nichols
Summary: Are our dreams a window to the soul? And if so, what will they show us?
1. School Daze

"Tenchi Muyô!" and all characters here in are the property of Pioneer and AIC, save those created by the author.  This is a fanfic, and is not for profit.  Warning: This story contains adult content and is rated a very strong 'R'.  If you are underage, or find such material objectionable, please leave now.

Daydreams

-by-

William Nichols

Chapter One: School Daze 

            The warm afternoon light filtered through the old windowpanes washing the small classroom in its golden glow.  It's not terribly hot, nor is it very comfortable in the tightly packed cell with its neat rows of desks and dominant chalkboards.  The room is filled with the musty scent of textbooks and chalk dust hangs in the tepid air, causing the nose to twitch slightly if over-inhaled.  This ambiance, coupled with the drone of the professors' monotone voice, was enough to lull even the most dedicated of students to dreamland.  

Tenchi Masaki sighed.  This was not what he envisioned an art history class to be like.            

            _How much more boring can this be?_ Tenchi asked himself.  _I'd rather be back in structural engineering retaking that exam from this morning…Yeesh!  If he says one more thing about the nature of Corinthian columns… _The professor had been droning on for at least a half an hour now on possibly the driest subject he had ever heard of in his relatively short collegiate career: his fascination of ancient column design.  _Last time I take a class under this guy,_ Tenchi added as his pen began to doodle on the margin of his notebook.  

            At first the doodles were random kanji and runes, just seeing what unique combinations he could form to make nonsense words.  After that the doodles took the form of ellipses, ovids, and other geometric shapes.  Soon the shapes began to come together to form manga inspired chibis.  The first one Tenchi sketched was the class's rather rotund professor, standing at the black board drawing a column that was just as short and squat as he was.  Off to the side of the chibi instructor was a chibi Tenchi, head down and asleep at his desk.  A swarm of 'Z's' was buzzing over the sleeping Tenchi's head.

            Finished with one doodle Tenchi moved on to the next.  His family was next thing he started to doodle.   With a few pen strokes Tenchi transformed a bunch of angles and swirls in to the likeness of his grandfather Katsuhito.  The chibi-Katsuhito was replete with a steaming cup of green tea held to his lips and a bokken slipped under his left arm.  The chibi-Katsuhito's eyes were closed behind the rectangular lenses of his glasses.  But behind the chibi's serene look Tenchi was sure that it was planning some new form of training to tax the 'lax college boy.'

            With a muffled chuckle Tenchi began to sketch Mihoshi.  He portrayed the blonde bubblehead in her usual attire of a pink sweater and khaki slacks.  A black ribbon bunched her mane of blonde hair into a ponytail.  The chibi-Mihoshi held a hand to her mouth in surprise and pair of saucer like eyes finished off the innocent look on her face.  Tenchi couldn't resist adding the first signs of tears, a look that was all too common on Mihoshi's face.  Obviously the chibi-Mihoshi had just broken something, more than likely in Washu's lab.

            Speaking of Washu, the red headed scientist was next to be immortalized by Tenchi's pen.  With her ever-present holo-laptop at the ready the chibi Washu came to life seated on her floating cushion.  The look of discovery was splashed across her eyes and smile.  Moving down from the face, Tenchi had the chibi give a victory sign. After finishing Washu's cargo shorts and blouse Tenchi moved back to her face to fill the fine details.  Her shock of red hair jutted out and cascaded to the floor, overly exaggerated, but appropriate.  The final touch to the chibi-Washu was her crab like bangs framing her face.

            Sasami flowed next from Tenchi's pen.  The chibi was turning out to be more adorable than the real thing.  Skipping along an unseen path the little Sasami was smiling broadly and a sparkle dotted her eyes.  Her twin aqua pigtails arched up before gushing back down behind the princess.  Her striped dress was bunched around the waist by an over-sized bow that protruded from either side of the chibi's body.  Rounding out the doodle was Ryo-Ohki perched atop Sasami's head.  The little cabbit's ears were double the size of its body, but to Tenchi, the scene looked perfect.  All that was missing was a carrot somewhere…

            Ayeka was the next one to be immortalized as the professor droned on about the different types of plinths and capitals one would find on Corinthian columns.  Whereas the other chibi's had a playful air to them, Ayeka's captured her regal stature.  Dressed in a harlequin patterned kimono with a broad obi Ayeka was posed looking back over her shoulder.  Her dark tresses flowed behind her in an imaginary breeze whilst her bangs fluttered over the ornate circlet that adorned her forehead.  A wistful look was placed on the chibi's face as it caught sight of what ever it was looking back at.   Barely noticeable, the chibi-Ayeka was holding a hand to her heart.  Tenchi smiled.  This Ayeka mimicked the looks of the real one perfectly.

            The only one missing from Tenchi's chibi family was Ryoko.

            _Ryoko_…

            Tenchi's mind zeroed for a moment before his pen once again began its silenced skritches on his notebook.  The chibi's features were a little softer than the real Ryoko, but nonetheless the emerging drawing captured her spirit.  Cast in her yellow and blue striped dress the chibi-Ryoko had a mischievous grin on its face.  One eye was closed in a wink and two fingers were held up beneath the opened one.  The spikes and bangs of her cyan tresses poked out and up, before flowing into their natural resting places.  The finishing touches to the chibi-Ryoko were her belt and its tail, dangling playful behind its master, and her slippers.

            Tenchi shook his head.  

Something about this chibi just did not set right with him.  It was a perfect image of Ryoko, but it did not feel right.

            Moving on to the next incarnation he began to draw Ryoko in her red and black battle togs.  This time Tenchi sketched the sleek and muscular lines of Ryoko's body, uninhibited by the rather concealing dress of the prior doodle.  Each curve and contour was captured beneath the skin-tight cat suit.  With the shoulder flair finished, Tenchi moved down Ryoko's arms.  On hand held a ball of energy whilst her energy saber was clutched in the other.  Now on to the face: Tenchi drew her cyan spikes and bangs with a little more attention this time.  Finally the feline-like eyes and a playful smirk rounded out the chibi.

            But this incarnation of the ex-space pirate did not set well with him either.

            Turning his notebook to a fresh page Tenchi began to sketch once again.  But this time his drawing was not a semi-comical manga inspired chibi.  He wanted to capture the real Ryoko.  For some funny reason that he could not exactly explain, the previous drawings just did not feel right to him.  They were not demeaning or overly exaggerated; they just didn't seem appropriate.

            The third characterization of Ryoko was more serious, more life-like.  Two vertical ovals became her feline eyes.  Careful shading brought the iris of each eye to life before the dark ovids of the pupil were inked in.   Framing these cat eyes were the soft lines of Ryoko face.  Added next was the outline of her nose, accented by soft shadows.   Ryoko's lips were pursed into a slight smile, and the general orientation of her gaze was to her left.  Next Tenchi began to sketch her cyan tresses once more.  An unseen wind blew her bangs and side locks to the drawings right, which prompted Tenchi to place her left hand and arm in the motion of smoothing a few pieces of hair back behind her oblong ear.  The other arm was positioned across her chest, just blocking from view her nipples, but leaving the roundness of each breast in plain sight.

            Tenchi sat back and blinked a few times as he pondered what to do next to his portrait.  Nodding approvingly to himself, he began to shade and highlight the half-figure.  As he did so, his thoughts became less and less on biding the time of this cacophony of boredom called class.  With each pen stroke the drawing became more life like, and his thoughts began to drift to other things as well…

            "How much longer?" Ryoko whined in a seductive voice.  She had been posing for Tenchi for nearly two hours now, and her rear end was starting to get a bit numb.  That and with what little she was wearing was letting her know how chilly it was outside on the little balcony.

            "If you keep moving I'll never finish," Tenchi said in a mock tone of agitation as his charcoal stick scratched on the heavy cotton artists' paper.  "Just a little more," he reassured as Ryoko settled back down.      

            "Uh-hmm." Ryoko straightened back up and adjusted the edges of her opened robe under her arms as Tenchi instructed her to do.  A gentle breeze picked up and began to play with her hair.  Tenchi smiled slightly as she pushed a few windblown wisps of hair back behind her ear.

            "There," Tenchi announced as he scribbled his name down the right-hand corner of the study portrait.

            "Lemme see!" Ryoko giggled as he bounded over to where he sat, pulling her silk robe closed as she did so, eliciting mild blush from Tenchi.  Tenchi proudly turned the sketchbook around so that she could see it better in the dim light.  "Oh my," she said breathily as she got her first good look at the portrait.  Arm across her chest, and one hand straightening a few errant locks, the drawing was perfect.   Ryoko tired to say something as she looked at her own face brought to life in charcoal.  The shading of her eyes, the curve of her nose, the purse of her lips; all of it seemed too perfect.  Each line and shadow was gazed upon as if were the first time she had ever seen her self. 

            "Do…do I really look this…good?" she asked a somewhat hesitantly, not sure if she wanted an honest answer or not.

            "No," Tenchi said, taking the book from her trembling hands.  Ryoko looked at him with the first sign of hurt and tears in her eyes, but his next words took that hurt away.  "You look so much more beautiful than this."  Ryoko blinked a time or two as he laid the book on a small table and drew her near so that she was straddling him.  "You are so beautiful…" The rest of Tenchi's words were lost as he kissed Ryoko passionately.

            With what sounded like a cross between a moan and a sigh, Ryoko deepened the kiss.  All feeling or reality was lost as she and Tenchi's tongues explored each other's mouths.  Breaking the kiss momentarily, Ryoko leaned back and looked into Tenchi's eyes. She saw her own amber orbs reflected in his pools of brown, both burning with the same fire.

            "I love you," Tenchi breathed, as she began to kiss his bottom lip.  Tenchi inhaled sharply as one of Ryoko's fangs nipped him as she pulled the ridge of flesh with her mouth.  By now his hands had begun to explore her body thru the thin silk of her half-drawn robe.  Smiling evilly Ryoko rotated her shoulders allowing the robe to fall down to her waist, freeing her breasts.

            "I love you as well, my Tenchi," Ryoko purred into his ear as she took one of his hands and guided it to her left breast.  A soft moan escaped her lips as Tenchi caressed the mound of flesh, her nipple hardening between his fingers.  Soon his other hand found Ryoko's right breast and gave it the attention its opposite had been enjoying. 

            Tenchi's breaths began to come in ragged huffs as Ryoko's mouth traced down his neck from his earlobe to his collarbone in a series of tender bites and kisses.  Every now and then she would inhale sharply or moan as his hands found a magic spot.  "I want you," she breathed into Tenchi's ear.  She could feel his desire grow in his trousers as she ground her pelvis into his.   "I want you…my Tenchi."

            A shiver ran down Tenchi's back as Ryoko's hot breath washed across his ear.  He couldn't take much more of this.  "I want you too, my Ryoko," he said back, almost begging her to take him.  

Pushing Tenchi into the chair back, Ryoko loosed the tie to her robe revealing her self fully to him.  All Tenchi could do was admire her beauty as his drafting lamp cast a warm, golden glow onto her alabaster skin.  A fanged, feral grin crossed Ryoko's face as his eyes explored her uncovered form.  From the beads of sweat that clung to her breast down to the firm musculature of her belly to the glistening patch of cyan fur nestled between her legs; Tenchi took it all in.  

"Are you ready?" Ryoko asked softly as she tugged at his belt and pulled it free from his trousers.  Tenchi nodded and licked his suddenly dry lips while she unfastened the button at the top of his pants and slid the zipper down.  Easing off of him slightly, she shrugged his trousers and boxers down enough to free him.

"Yes…" was all the reply Tenchi could muster.  Resting one hand on his shoulder, Ryoko gently guided him into her as he held onto her hips.  A look of anticipation splashed across both of their faces as they melded into one being.  Eyes locked, Ryoko began to move up and down, back and forth, all in time with Tenchi's breathing.   His hands kept her hips in place and added extra pressure as her gyrations continued, but all he could think about was Ryoko.  

Nothing else mattered at that moment.

Tenchi's existence was focused on the picture of beauty that he was sharing his love with, and that was sharing her love with him.  "Oh…" Tenchi moaned as Ryoko turned the heat up a notch.  "Oh my…" 

Ryoko nodded and kissed his top lip as the sensations of climax began to course thru her as well.  "Tenchi…" she muttered weakly as her barriers slipped away.

"Ryoko…" he breathed, his ordeal nearing an end.

"Tenchi!"  Only Ryoko calling his name kept him grounded in reality as his climax washed over the both of them, sending her off as well.

_"Tenchi!"_

Grounded in reality…

Tenchi slowly returned to the real world, his vision of loveliness lost.  "Hey!  Tenchi! You hear me?" asked a tall fellow with brown hair parted down the middle.  Tenchi blinked his way back to the classroom to find everyone closing his or her books and filing out of the cramped cell.  Quickly flipping the page of his notebook back over to the half page of notes and chibi characters, Tenchi finally looked up.

"You all right man?" his friend asked.

"Yeah," Tenchi said scratching the back of his head.  "I'm fine Jonouchi.  I just dozed off there for a moment."

"I know the feeling," Jonouchi replied as he stretched himself.  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the chibis adorning the bottom half of Tenchi's notebook.  "Say Masaki," he began as he hefted the book from the desk, "whatcha got there?"

"Just some doodles," Tenchi replied as he finished packing his backpack.  "I got really bored there."

"Not bad," Jonouchi complimented.  He chuckled at some of the more whimsical drawings, especially the cute little girl with the cat/rabbit thingy sitting on her head.  "We may have the next Hitoshi Okuda here," he laughed as he flipped the page over to the serious drawing of Ryoko.  Jonouchi whistled.  "Say Masaki," he began with sly smile, "who's the major league hottie here?"

"Just a figure study," Tenchi said sheepishly as he took the notebook from his friend's hands and abruptly closed it.

"Are you sure?" Jonouchi teased.

"Absolutely," Tenchi swore.

"Then you sure are blushing a helluva lot for a figure study."  Tenchi opened his mouth to retort, but he promptly closed it.  "If she's nothing to you," Jonouchi prodded, "you could always hook me up with her."

"I never said that," Tenchi defended.  

"But you didn't say otherwise, either," his friend taunted.

"Whatever," Tenchi retorted. "Besides, what would Toka think if she knew you said that?"  

Jonouchi chuckled as Tenchi started out of the classroom.  Masaki was a good guy, but a little too easy to rile up at times.  "Tenchi," Jonouchi called out.

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget about the study session tomorrow night."

"I'll be there," Tenchi said over his shoulder before he exited the class.  

Jonouchi just chuckled as he pulled his books together and shouldered his bag.  "Man he's got it bad," he laughed to himself as he left the classroom.  

Tenchi's pace quickened as he crossed the campus of Hiroshima University, his daydream from class along with the teasing from Jonouchi still fresh on his mind.  Happy couples sat on blankets in the warm afternoon sun enjoying the scents of late spring.  Tenchi usually enjoyed the walk back to his apartment, but this day the beauty of his trek home was lost to him.  After crossing the green commons of the campus Tenchi made it to his apartment.  It wasn't anything fancy, just a standard efficiency apartment that was part of the university system.  Compared to home it was quite Spartan, but it had all the amenities Tenchi needed.  The two rooms were divided into a kitchen/living room and a bedroom/bath.  In the corner of the bedroom stood a drafting table with an articulated lamp extending from the left side.  

Tenchi tossed his book bag on the bed and pulled the notebook out.  With a click the light above the table was on, and notebook was splayed open to the page containing the figure study of Ryoko.

He stared at it.   

_Did I really draw this? _he questioned himself, his finger tracing the outline of the drawings face.   _I can't believe it…and that fantasy… It seemed so real and intense, but I've never really fantasized about the girls all that much… much less in class! _  Tenchi blinked a time or two as the mental of image of him and Ryoko making love flooded back to him.  Had he really professed his love for her in that fantasy?_  Did I really say that to her?  Better yet,_ he wondered,_ is it true? _

_No! _a strong voice reprimanded in the back of his mind.  It was his own, but more forceful than he had ever heard his conscious reprimand him before.  _It was just a fantasy, and nothing more!  It was lust, not love! Ryoko has a beautiful body, and you were attracted to it.  No more; no less.  You cannot hurt any of them like that over a stupid, lustful fantasy! _  

Tenchi shook his head.  

            Nothing made sense to him at the moment.

            Sighing to near deflation, Tenchi did the only thing that felt proper.  He opened the drawer beneath the drafting surface and produced a heavy bond artist's sketchbook.  After flipping thru the various still and figure studies he came to a clean page.  Propping the notebook up on a small easel, Tenchi adjusted the light so that it shone down on his clean slate.  Next to be procured was a set of charcoals, similar to the ones used in his fantasy.   After giving a graphite pencil a few twists in a sharpener, Tenchi began to recreate the rough pen-sketch.

            Carefully, diligently, Tenchi started his new drawing.  His mind kept telling him that finals were only two weeks away and that he needed to be reviewing, but he kept drawing.   As before, he started with those feline eyes that seemed to captivate him so.  Whilst Tenchi sketched, his mind kept leaping back to the daydream.  A flash here, a snippet there, the dream would come to him as he drew.   Each time his gaze seemed to be fixated on Ryoko's eyes.  In those eyes he saw nothing but pure, unbridled love.  

            Love directed solely towards him.

            Love that longed only for him to return it.

            But also while he portrayed Ryoko his conscious kept nagging at him.  Telling him that it was not love.  It was lust.  It was a simple matter of his hormones overriding his common sense for a brief moment.  Telling him that he wasn't ready for that type of commitment, or the consequences such a confession would entail. He was just feeling his wild oats.  No more than that.   A simple matter of attraction to a beautiful body that he had seen flaunted in front of his young eyes too many times to count.  

            It was by no means love that he felt for the beautiful…sensual…alluring…

            _No! No! No!  Cut that out! _his mind raged.  _It was not love and you know it!  It was lust!  Lust!  LUST!  **LUST!**_

Tenchi was taken somewhat aback by the mental tirade that been unleashed within his subconscious.  Was he really that adamant against showing the slightest signs of affection towards one of the girls?  Had his '_I love you all equally'_ charade finally become so entrenched in his mind that the thought of warming up to one of them in particular would be so diametrically opposed?  In all honesty, he had no answer to that question, or to the sinking feeling that was settling in the pit of his stomach.  All he could think of was a one-word reply:

            _Why?     _

And to that very question he had no good answer.

            And that frightened him.

            Feeling that his mental debate would consume him this night, Tenchi prayed for anything to come along and alleviate this burden.  Fortunately for him the gods must have been listening and decided to take pity on his wretched soul.

            Tenchi was snapped from his internal duel by the ringing of his telephone.  After the second ring, he had blinked enough to remember where he was and where he had last laid the cordless receiver.  By the fourth ring he had punched the 'talk' button right before his answering machine cut on.

            "Masaki's," he announced as coolly as possible.  Instantly his smile returned to him as he heard the chipper voice on the other end of the line.  "Hey Sasami," he warmly returned.   The voice from home did wonders for his mood.  _Maybe that is all that's the matter with me,_ he concluded inwardly as Sasami recounted the day's adventures in the Masaki home.  _I'm just a little homesick.  Yeah, that's it!  Man it'll be good to go home for summer break after finals.  Working the fields; my duties at the shrine; Sasami's cooking- Kami knows its light years beyond mine!  Ryoko trying to glomp me…_

_            Where did that come from? _Tenchi asked himself as Sasami chattered on about Mihoshi's latest mishap in Washu's lab.  "That's too bad," he replied with a half-hearted chuckle.  He could just imagine Mihoshi begging Washu not to be mad.   _Some things never change_, he laughed to himself.  But what Sasami said next, brought back that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach once more.  It felt like a ball of lead was sitting right on top of his navel.  It wasn't dread that he felt, that was more like a burning sensation.  This was more like, more like, _anticipation?_

            "Hello Ryoko," Tenchi said as Sasami handed off the phone back in Okayama.  "I'm fine.  Schools going well," he answered to her questions.  "How's your day been?"  Tenchi chewed his bottom lip as Ryoko laughed off the day's occurrences.  It seemed like the typical day for her.  She had taken a lengthy bath in the Onsen, tried to skirt her chores just to get a rile out of Ayeka, and argued with the aforementioned princess over who should get the last rice cake while they were watching soap operas.  Tenchi chuckled as Ryoko revealed that in the end Mihoshi slipped the cake past them both while they argued.  All the while Tenchi was transfixed on her each and every word, each syllable tantalizing his auditory system.  His mouth was dry; his face was flushed, but he was so wrapped in her words that he did not notice.   But what Ryoko said next made Tenchi wonder if the gravity constant in his apartment had suddenly been increased.

            "I miss you," he heard her say across the phone line.

            "I miss you too," Tenchi replied in a daze.

            "Well," Ryoko breathed, "I have to help Sasami set the table for dinner.  Do well on your finals."  Tenchi nodded as she paused for a second.  "I love you," Ryoko finished, an octave lower than usual and with a hint of sensuality added on for effect.

            "I…I, I know," Tenchi, said somewhat dry mouthed.   "I'll see you all soon," he added in closing.  A full minute passed before he realized that Ryoko had hung up on the other end.  Clicking the handset off, Tenchi sat it on the small island counter and walked over to the sink.  After procuring a glass from the overhead cabinets, he filled it with water.  He had just noticed that his throat and mouth were parched.  

            _I've never felt this way before,_ he thought as he refilled his glass.  _I can't be sick, but I feel like I have a slight fever._  Looking in the mirror Tenchi found that his face was flushed as well.  "Oh boy," he breathed.  Shaking his head Tenchi walked back to his drafting table.  He had lost track of what he was doing before the phone rang.  Once again Tenchi was taken aback this day.  

            He had begun transposing the original rough pen sketch onto the larger sketchbook.  All he had finished of the portrait was Ryoko's face.   Looking up at him from the page, her feline eyes were framed by her spiky bangs whilst the rest of her hair hung freely around her face.  Her lips were once again pursed into that wistful smile he had sketched in his fantasy.   The shading, the highlights, everything about the drawing was perfect.  Somehow he had even managed to capture that spark of energy Ryoko's eyes had held in his fantasy…

Those eyes… 

 Tenchi shook his head.  "What's the matter with me?" he asked in disbelief.  Once again brief images of his daydream flashed in front of his eyes.  Shaking his head to rid himself of the quarrelsome imagery, Tenchi clicked off the lamp above his drafting table.  The portrait could wait till later. 

Much later.

After fixing a quick bite to eat and breaking his rule of 'no alcohol during the school week,' Tenchi sat back on his modest sofa with a bottle of Orion and began to look over his notes.  He had no intension of getting drunk tonight; he just wanted to calm his nerves a little.  Dinner had gone along way towards that goal, and before long he was engrossed in his studies once more.   

Before Tenchi realized it was nearly eleven-thirty.   He had an eight o' clock class in the morning, so he decided enough reviewing for one night.   The study session with Jonouchi and the others would go along way tomorrow night.  After packing his bag for the morning and brushing teeth, Tenchi retired for the evening.  With the type of day this had been, a sound nights sleep would be welcomed.  Settling into his futon, Tenchi was out like nearly as soon as his head hit his pillow.   Unfortunately, his slumber would be anything but peaceful… 

"Tenchi?" 

Tenchi found himself back on the same balcony from his earlier fantasy.  He was sitting on an old-style high-backed chair while Ryoko sat posing across from him on a red and black settee.  Her arms were still in the sleeves of the blue and gold silk robe she wore; whilst the back had slid down to reveal her bare shoulders and chest.   A small end table was to Tenchi's left, and an assortment of various artists supplies were laid neatly across its surface.  Apart from the three-tiered lamp casting warm light on his page and Ryoko, the only illumination was that provided by the gods.   

A myriad of stars dotted the blue-black sky, which faded from a deep cerulean nearest the city lights, to almost a carbon black where the silver moon sat nestled in its perch.  The dark silhouettes of the Kantō-Sanchi range provided the backdrop for the surrealistic scene.   Yellow specks of light from homes and the occasional shrine off in the distance flickered on the mountainsides like the summer fireflies.  A gentle breeze played with Ryoko's tresses and carried the scents of late spring as Tenchi realized his environ.  

"Tenchi?" Ryoko asked, a little concerned about his momentary trip into outer space.  "Earth to Tenchi!" she giggled as he blinked a few times.  A smirk edged across Tenchi's face at her last comment.   "Are you alright?" Ryoko laughed as he sat his sketchbook on the table and walked over to her.  "What's gotten into you?" she playfully asked, drawing her robe closed.

"Nothing much," Tenchi replied, kissing her.  At first the kiss was rose petal soft, but it did not take long for it to become passionate.

"What ever it is," Ryoko said between kisses, "I like it."  Tenchi mumbled something in response, but his words were lost in her mouth.  Before long he was seated next to her on the low divan.  Ryoko purred softly as Tenchi began to move his kisses from her lips down the side of her neck to her shoulder.  Ryoko clenched her fingernails through Tenchi's black tee shirt as his teeth brushed her skin in a loving bite.   "I definitely like it," she said softly, shivers chasing up and down her spine.

Tenchi chuckled.  "I'm glad."   Ryoko moaned in pleasure as Tenchi's hands found her breasts.  Slowly he began to smooth his palms over the firm mounds beneath the thin layer of silk.

"Here," Ryoko proffered.  A quick roll of the shoulders later and her robe was slid down.  Tenchi ran his hands gently over the sensitive skin of her breasts, before he pinched her nipples between his thumb and forefingers.  All Ryoko could manage was pleasured moan as she clawed at the hem of Tenchi's pants.

"Let me," he said.  Ryoko smiled as he pulled his shirt off, revealing the physique of someone who was used to outdoors work his whole life.    

"Thank you," she said softly, raking her fingernails down his chest.  With a kiss she showed her gratitude.

"No," Tenchi breathed, as he lay back, pulling her with him onto the divan.  "Thank you…my love…" Ryoko smiled a devilish smile towards him before she covered his mouth with hers once more.

Breaking the kiss, Ryoko looked into Tenchi's eyes.  "I love you," she said barely above a breath, but loud enough for him to hear.  The look in her eyes told him that those simple three words were meant wholly and unequivocally.  Before Tenchi could respond in kind, she kissed him again.  Both moaned softly as ones tongue explored the others mouth.  Sighing contently, Ryoko nuzzled her nose against Tenchi's cheek.  "I love you," she reaffirmed in a low whisper before she gently bit his earlobe.

Shivers ran up and down Tenchi's spine as Ryoko planted a series of soft kisses down his neck and collarbone before moving the kisses down to his chest.  The feeling was electric as her tongue ran down his taught pectoral and circled his nipple.   Tenchi slid his fingers thru Ryoko's soft, cyan locks as she continued to kiss down his stomach, only stopping at the top of his trousers.  Shooting Tenchi a feral grin, Ryoko began to unfasten his belt and work on the trousers catch and fly.  In a fluid motion she pulled his trousers and boxers off and dropped them to the side.

"Now you're mine," Ryoko said playfully.  Tenchi could feel his heart pounding in his chest like the worlds wildest rock 'n' roll drummer playing the wildest solo ever as Ryoko gently began to kiss his groin.  Slowly, teasingly, she kissed him, all the while stroking his manhood.  

"Ryoko," Tenchi laughed as she found a somewhat ticklish spot, but all the former pirate did was flash him one of her patented grins.  "Ryoko?" he asked in a nervous voice as she traced her tongue around her full lips.

"Like I said," Ryoko began seductively, "you're mine."  Before Tenchi could protest, if he even wanted to, Ryoko licked the length of him from the base of his scrotum to the tip of his penis, her tongue lingering teasingly at its sensitive tip.  "You like?" she mischievously purred.  All Tenchi could do was nod and try to keep his heart rate in check. 

"Good."  That was the last cognizant thing Tenchi heard before Ryoko slid her moist lips down his full length.  Tenchi gasped she slid her lips back up him, her warm saliva quickly cooling in the night air.  The feeling was more than electrifying as Ryoko continued this motion over and over.  At first her strokes were slow, but as Tenchi's breathing increased, so did she.  Tenchi's fingers became interlaced in her hair as Ryoko continued to drive him completely and utterly wild.

"Oh gods…" Tenchi muttered as he felt his restraint slip away.  "Ryoko…" he trembled, but she ignored him.  Tenchi's pleas for help only drove her further to giving him his release.  Every muscle in his body tightened and the world swirled in a warp of colors as Tenchi found his climax.  Ragged huffs of breath passed between his lips as he watched Ryoko seductively run her tongue around her lips once more before his world faded to black…             

 After a few disoriented, blinks the dark confines of the bedroom became discernable to Tenchi.  His head was throbbing and the back of his neck was soaked with sweat, matting his long plait.  "Oh boy," Tenchi moaned in a raspy voice.  His lips were dry and his throat was parched once more.  Not to mention the room felt like a sauna at the moment.  With a groan he rolled over and squinted, waiting for the glowing red numerals of his alarm clock to come into focus. 

 Tenchi cursed when he saw the time.  

"Two-thirty," he whined.  Feeling the need for a glass of water and to relieve himself, Tenchi swung his feet off the bed and cautiously made his way through the darkened apartment to the bathroom.   _What a dream,_ he mused as he scratched an itch on the back of his left arm.  He was amazed that his mind could come up with such a scenario, much less twice in one day.  _That dream was pretty intense, more so that the one earlier...  I wonder if Ryoko would even do something like that? No!_ he reprimanded himself once more.  _Don't even think such a thing!  It will only cause trouble and heartache!_

Blinking furiously once more to ward off the sudden incandescent brightness of the bathroom lights, Tenchi got a good look at himself in the mirror above the sink.  "Shit," he muttered as he caught sight of the dark stain on the front of his boxer shorts.  Obviously his dream was more intense than he thought it had been.  "What am I going to do," Tenchi said shaking his head.  

After changing shorts and fixing a glass of water Tenchi sat back down on the sofa.  With a hiss of static the television came to life.  After a less than rousing bout of channel surfing, Tenchi finally settled on watching some old Dragon Ball reruns that he had seen umpteen times before.  At least the mindless violence could offer him a slight respite from his mental duel. 

"Am I falling in love?" he asked himself as the television flickered from some out of this world energy ray unleashed by one of the characters.  "Or are my hormones just going nuts?"  Once again Tenchi had no good answer for either question.  The one thing that he was certain of though, was that if the former proved to be true, things would never be the same again.

Notes:  I hope you enjoyed this foray into a new genre for me.  To be honest, I was leery if I could even write such a story to start with, but with a little prodding from a fellow writer, and a little help from the selfsame writer, we have this result.  Thanks Di.  I hope you all enjoy this I endeavor on this new odyssey of sorts.  

William Nichols 6/10/02


	2. Dinner and a Daydream

"Tenchi Muyô!" and all character herein are the property of Pioneer and AIC, save those created by the author.  This is a fanfic, and is done for fun, not profit.  All the warnings from the previous chapter(s) apply to this one as well.

Daydreams

-by-

William Nichols

Chapter Two: Dinner and a Daydream… 

Jonouchi Hisashi leisurely strolled across the campus Commons of Hiroshima University.  It was a pleasant Friday afternoon.  The sky was crystal blue; cloud free; and a cool breeze had taken the edge off the days warmth.   There was only one week of classes left before finals and the summer break began.  _Summer break!  There's a thought!_  He could picture it now: fun in the sun at his parent's beach house in Honolulu.  His grandparents had moved to Hawaii in the third decade of the last century, and had toughed it out there during the bleak years of the war between Japan and America.  His mom had been born in Hawaii after the war, and went to college in Tokyo for a while, where she had met his father.  All in all, Hisashi figured he had the best of both worlds.     

But as pleasant as these thoughts were, something bothered the usually upbeat young man.  For the past several days one of his closest friends had been acting rather uncharacteristically.  He knew from the year's worth of classes that he had taken with Masaki Tenchi that the lad could be somewhat secretive and reserved, but as of late he was downright reclusive.   Deep down though, Hisashi wondered if this stemmed from the light teasing that he had given Tenchi last week at the study session over the mystery girl he was sketching in class the day before.  

At the first question of who the young lady might be, Tenchi had tensed up and abruptly changed the subject.  Of course this led to the usual barrage of questioning and innuendo from everyone else present over who his secret girlfriend was and when he or she could meet her.  But after not too terribly long, Hisashi had noticed the change in Masaki's demeanor and made it known that they should get back to the study session.   Ever since then, Tenchi had been in a shell of sorts, almost like he was denying something.  To compound Hisashi's worry, Tenchi looked like he was not sleeping well.

"I've got to apologize," he muttered to himself as he entered the foyer of Tenchi's apartment building and headed for the stairs.  His grandparents had instilled a sense of honor in him as a child, and Hisashi was sure that Tenchi's had been insulted by his teasing.  Two flights of stairs later he found himself in front of Tenchi's apartment.  

A quick rap on the door announced his arrival.  _Please be in,_ he mentally begged as a moment of silence passed

Hisashi sighed in relief as a muffled "I'm comin'!" emanated from the apartments interior.  A few seconds later the slink of the door chain was heard along with the click of the door lock, announcing the occupants' arrival.  

"Hey Masaki," Hisashi said a little sheepishly.  "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Tenchi replied as he ushered his friend inside.  "You ready for finals next week Jonouchi?" Tenchi asked as Hisashi removed his shoes and plopped down on the small sofa.  

"Yeah, but Professor Oshii's class has me a little worried though," Hisashi replied as Tenchi paused by the kitchen counter. 

Tenchi nodded in agreement.  

"Want something to drink?" Tenchi proffered as he opened the refrigerator.

"Coke's fine by me," Hisashi answered.  _He seems to be back to his old self… Maybe I was worried about nothing…_ While Hisashi tried to banish his misgivings from his mind he noticed a medium sized silver picture frame sitting on Tenchi's coffee table.  The frame itself was nothing out of the ordinary, but its content was what struck Hisashi so.  Flanking either side of Tenchi were two, rather unique looking young ladies.  The dark haired one on the right looked fairly normal, although for some funny reason her hair had a purplish tinge to it, or so Hisashi thought.

But the one on the left was the one that had caught his attention first.  Her spiky hair was an odd shade of a light blue-green, nearly cyan in nature.  Her amber eye color could be dismissed as shaded contacts, and her ears had an oblong cant to them.  If had been one or the other, he probably would not have given the picture a second though, but the combination of all three… _Where have I seen her before?_ Hisashi questioned himself as Tenchi brought two bottles of ice-cold cola from the fridge.  _I know I have seen her somewhere… _Then in an instant the manga inspired chibi's flashed through Hisashi's mind along with the pen sketch that Tenchi had done the week before. Then it dawned on him.  _That's her!  It has to be…_

"Here ya go," Tenchi said as Hisashi took one of the frosty glass bottles from Tenchi.  

Wisps of bluish fog rolled off the neck of the bottle as Hisashi took a slug of the tart liquid.  "Where do you get these bottles?" he asked as he drained the curved bottle's content.  "I can't find them anywhere around here."

"I get them back home," Tenchi said as he too emptied his cola.  "I love them."

"The only other place I've seen them is back in Honolulu," Hisashi said, studying the raised logo and grooved body of the bottle.  "This stuff tastes better in these little bottles," he said setting the bottle down next to the picture from.  _Now or never…_

"Say Masaki," he began.

"We're not in class, so just call me Tenchi," Tenchi interrupted.

"All right," Hisashi continued.  "I want to apologize for giving you a hard time last week.  Your relationships are no business of mine."  _There!  I said it.  Now maybe he will loosen up tell me about the girl in the picture frame…  _

"It's not a problem," Tenchi replied.  "I guess I get a little uptight about things at times."

"Like the young lady in the picture there?" Hisashi inquired, chucking a thumb towards the silver frame.

"That's a long and complicated story," Tenchi sighed, meaning every word of it.  _And if I told you the truth,_ he added mentally, _you probably wouldn't believe me… _

"I'm sorry," Hisashi atoned, once again shamed for bringing up a touchy subject.  "I recognized her from the pictures you were doodling the other day."

"She's a good friend of mine," Tenchi replied, looking for the right words to describe his relationships with Ryoko and the other girls.

"That's good enough for me," Hisashi said, offering his friend a way out of the conversation.

"Ryoko has known me nearly my entire life," Tenchi continued, not knowing that for the first sixteen years though, Ryoko had been the legendary demoness entombed in the shrine.  "When we were younger, Ryoko moved away, and did not return until a few years a ago."  _Not exactly the truth, _Tenchi thought, _but it will do.  _Hisashi nodded as Tenchi continued his tale.  "However, not long after Ryoko moved back, Ayeka, who comes from an old family my grandfather knows, arrived," Tenchi added, pointing to the girl with the purplish hair.  

"And they both want you," Hisashi chimed in, finishing Tenchi's story.

"In a nutshell."

_No wonder he's so uptight about the situation.  Anyone would be…_"Tell ya what," Jonouchi began, "just forget about all of that and come out with me and Toka tonight.  Our treat."

"I'd love to," Tenchi began, "but finals are next week, and…"

"And nothing!" Hisashi blurted out.  "You've got this stuff cold, and besides, everyone needs a break from time to time."  Tenchi fidgeted for a moment as he weighed the possibility of losing a nights study time.  "That and Toka and I will be leaving for Hawaii after finals.  Think of it as spending quality time with some friends you won't see all summer, so look at it that way.  A night out with friends."

"Sure," Tenchi relented.  "What time should I meet you two?"

"We'll be by to get you about seven-thirty," Hisashi said, rising from the couch.  "Dress sharp," he said before he bowed slightly and proceeded to the small foyer area to claim his sneakers.  "Seven-thirty," Hisashi reminded as he pulled the door shut behind him.  

Tenchi smiled and nodded slightly as his enthusiastic friend headed off.  A night off would do no harm, and with the way he had been acting the past week, it would probably do him good.  _Yes, I need to get out more.  Maybe a few good drinks and some decent food will help me relax a little._

  Tenchi smiled as he deposited the two Coke bottles in the recycling bin and headed towards his bedroom.  As he clicked on the light he remembered hat he had been doing before Hisashi had dropped by.  The soft light of his drafting tables articulated lamp was illuminating the drawing of Ryoko he had started the week before.  In that time it had evolved into a labor of love of sorts.  While he had been content at first just to transcribe his earlier sketch, now the drawing had taken a new significance of sorts.  The drawing had almost taken a life of it's own.  In fact, Tenchi thought it was done well enough to be his final project in one of his classes.

Tenchi allowed his eyes to follow the lines of his sketch.  While he did so, he could not help but think about what he had told Jonouchi those few short minutes ago.  _Why do I feel like Ryoko has known me my entire life at times?  It's so strange…_

Tenchi Masaki ran through the spring forest leaving the soft crunch of leaves and grass is his wake.  It was a pleasant late April day and he had nothing better to do than visit his favorite spot.  That old outcropping ad grotto held some magnetism that always pulled him back there, no matter how stern his grandfather would be with him.  He never could see the dangers that his grandfather spoke of in his stories.  There was no demon here.  He was four years old, and he knew better than that.

A giggle escaped him as he splashed a small puddle left from the previous days rain shower.  His father would probably scold him for getting his pants all muddy again, but he never stayed mad for long.  Little Tenchi's mind raced.  He hoped his friend Ry'ko would be out today.

Drawing close to the grotto he slowed his pace.  He never knew when granpa Kats'to might jump out of the bushes and scold him.  Looking from side to side to make sure he was alone, Tenchi dropped to his knees and crawled up to the old scrub bushes that bordered the grotto.  "Shhhhhh…" he said with a finger to his mouth to the bushes in front of him, as if his warning would keep their leaves from rustling.  "We got to be quiet," he said in a soft tone.

Peeling a small branch back, Tenchi looked out towards the grotto.  "Uh-oh…" he whined.  Standing in front of the ancient cave was his grandfather, but he did not look as if he was waiting for Tenchi.  Instead, he looked like he was talking to someone.  Tenchi strained his little ears to hear what was being said…

"I'm not mad at you for playing with Tenchi," he heard Katsuhito say.  "I know he's adorable, and quite mischievous."  Tenchi strained to listen harder, but he could not hear whomever his granpa was talking to.  

"Maybe one day," Katsuhito said, after a pause, casting a quick glance towards the bushes where Tenchi was hiding.  He hid a smile as he heard the child fall backwards and land on his bottom at being discovered.  "I'm going now," he laughed.  "Keep an eye on him."

After waiting what seemed like an eternity to make sure his grandfather was gone, Tenchi finally crept out of the bushes and bounded towards the grotto's mouth.  "Ry'ko!" he shouted.  "Are ya here?  Was granpa Kats'to mean ta you?"  Tenchi asked looking for his play friend.  "Ry'ko?" he asked hesitantly.  Just as he sighed in defeat, the ethereal image of his friend faded into sight.

"Ry'ko!" he squealed in delight as the phantom waved to him.  Most his age would have been afraid of such an apparition, but not Tenchi.  For as long as he could remember Ry'ko had been his friend.  He never saw the demons and boogiemen that his grandfather and mother said lived in the cave.  Nope.  All he saw was his friend, amber eyes, spiky hair and all.  

"I taut you were gone," he said, a feigned look of sorrow on his face, which in turned caused Ry'ko to pout.  "But you're here!" he rebounded with a laugh.  Ry'ko smiled and nodded as Tenchi continued to laugh.  "I wish I could hear you," he said as she gave him a lopsided smile.  "Why can't I hear you?" he asked honestly.  

Ry'ko just sighed and shrugged.  She wanted Tenchi to hear her, but unfortunately her astral projection was a one-way ticket.  Whilst they could see one another, she could not speak to him.  But would she say if she could?  She would say the same thing she said to Tenchi every time she saw him.

"I love you," Ry'ko mouthed to the little Tenchi, who nodded in understanding.

"I love you too," Tenchi said, meaning it with all his little heart.  A smile flashed across Ry'ko's face as she tried to hug the little boy, but her arms just merely passed through him. "What'sa matter?" Tenchi asked as Ryoko quickly looked away from him.  "Don't cry…" he comforted, trying to wrap his arms around his phantom friend, but with the same result.  "Its okay…" he said barely above a whisper.  "It's okay…"

Tenchi's mood brightened when Ry'ko wiped the last traces of tears from beneath her golden eyes and returned his angelic smile.  "One day," he said, doing his best to keep his arms around Ry'ko's ghostly form.  "One day I'll hold ya' for real…"

_What was that? _Tenchi thought.  For the briefest of fleeting moments he could have sworn he was returned to his childhood.  _Did that really happen?_ he pondered, running a hand through his hair.  _If I could see Ryoko and she me,_ he continued to himself, heading for the bathroom, _how come I haven't remembered it before now, and why has she not mentioned it to me?  How many times did this happen?_

_Because you probably would have laughed it off as one of her advances, _his conscious returned.

Tenchi stopped by his dresser and blinked.  _Am I that naive?_

_Really want an answer?_ his conscious jabbed back.  _It might scare you._

"That it may," Tenchi spoke aloud.  Clicking the bathroom light on, he reached in and turned on the shower.  Tonight out would do him good.  All the stress from finals had been getting to him.  "That's it," he laughed as he fetched a towel and wash clothe from his small linen closet.  Seven-thirty would be here soon, and the night's diversion was welcome.

___ 

            Ryoko sighed.  

 She rarely came back to this spot.  Too many bad memories.   Of course, being entombed in a place for seven hundred years would do that to a person.  Nonetheless, Ryoko found herself sitting on the small outcropping of rock that jutted out from in front of the grotto.  It was from this perch that she first spied the young man that unlocked her heart.  Just as that nameless tree had predicted eight hundred years prior, he had come to her.  

            And it was a memory from those days gone by that returned her to this place.  Why this one memory in particular had come to haunt her, she did not know.  But it had.  Of all the time she had played with Tenchi as a child, this one solitary day stood out in her mind above all others.  It was the first time that he had said he loved her.   What she would give to have the adult incarnation of that child say those same words with the same emotion.  

Shaking her head, Ryoko tried to fend off the shiver that raced up her spine. "Why did I have to remember that?" she whined to the air around her.

            "Sometimes a memory can serve as a portent," came the voice of Katsuhito from below.

            "Don't do that!" Ryoko, startled out of her deep funk, shrieked.  "I nearly jumped out of my skin!"

            "One should not let their defenses down as such," Katsuhito playfully admonished. "It's not good form."  Ryoko only stuck her tongue out at the old priest and looked away from him.  "You are remembering days gone by, am I right?"

            "Yes," Ryoko said fidgeting with the hem of her yellow sundress.  "One, in particular…" her voice trailed off as the memory flooded back to her.

            "I may have an inkling of the day you are recalling," Katsuhito said as the evening sun glinted off his glasses.   

            "Why does fate have to be so cruel?" Ryoko asked in a hushed tone.  "When he was young …when he was young…" she trailed off into tears.  Even for the hardened old pirate some things were too difficult to mention.  _Damned Zero, _she cursed inwardly.

            "He would tell you what you wish to hear today," Katsuhito solemnly.

            "Yes," Ryoko let out between her tears.  

            "I wouldn't worry," the aged priest said as he picked up a pebble and began to study it.  "Things have a way of coming full circle in this life."

            "Don't you even think about locking me back in that cave," she laughed with a false bravado.  "No matter how much Ayeka begs you to."

            "I don't think Tenchi would approve of that," Katsuhito said with a chuckle.

            "I wonder at times," Ryoko returned.  _I really do…_

            "I feel that things around here may change before you think," Katsuhito said as he began to descend the ancient stone steps into the forest.  "Keep your spirits up Ryoko." 

            Ryoko smiled as Katsuhito sank from sight down the steps.  "Maybe you're right," she said with a laugh.  Unfortunately her levity disappeared as quickly as Katsuhito.  "But still," she said, her tears returning, "why did have to remember that day?"

            _It's time!_ Ryoko thought as she watched the shadows grow long on the ground in front of her prison.  Nearly everyday without fail he would show up about this time.  It was the only thing that made her existence bearable.

            That and the hope that each of his visits brought.

            Summoning some of the power from her gems locked in the sword hilt above her, Ryoko projected her consciousness from her dark and dank prison.

            "Lovely day, is it not?" a voice asked from the stillness.

            '_Oh damn!'_ she cursed as she took form out side the cave.  '_It's you.'_

"Yes," Katsuhito laughed.  "Its me."

            _'You know,'_ Ryoko began somewhat tersely, _'I'm getting tired of seeing your ugly mug after all these years.'_

"Now, now," Katsuhito chided.  "Some have thought this 'mug' to be quite handsome," he quipped with a light laugh.  But just as quickly his expressions returned to his typically sternness once more.  "I think you know my reasons for being here."

            Instantly Ryoko paled.  _'Don't be angry,' _she pleaded.  She meant no harm; honestly she didn't.  _'Please don't be…'_ she continued nearly in tears, the first traces of crimson flushing her pallid cheeks.  _'Please…'_

            Katsuhito sighed.  Never before now had he imagined his old foe openly weeping.  _She has changed,_ he thought."I'm not mad at you for playing with Tenchi," the aged priest comforted.  "I know how you feel about the lad."

            _'I'm not making that up!'_ Ryoko defended, her sorrow now infused with indignation.  _'I do love him!' _she honestly spoke, perhaps a little more crossly than she would have intended.

"I know you do," Katsuhito said.  "And one day, I honestly hope he returns the sentiment."

            _'Don't tease me,'_ Ryoko said curtly while giving Katsuhito a menacing look.  _'I do love him.'_

            "I am not teasing you," Katsuhito said honestly.  "And when he is older, I will allow him to free you."

            Instantly hope flashed across Ryoko's eyes.  Her dream might just come true.  _'I just hope he still remembers these days when he's older.'_

            "Only time will tell," Katsuhito replied.  "But you do know," he continued, "that things will change when you are freed."

            _'I know…'_

"He will be cast into his destiny," Katsuhito elaborated.  "The choice will be his, and he will have to follow his heart, wherever that may lead him."

            _'He's out there,' _Ryoko said cutting her eyes towards the bushes edging the grotto.  _'He's so adorable when he's acting mischievous like that.'_

            "Yes," Katsuhito laughed, looking over to where Tenchi was hiding.  "He is quite adorable and mischievous."  

            Ryoko held a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter as she heard the bushes rustle and her young love land on his rump.  _'That was mean,'_ she protested between laughs.

            "I'm going now," Katsuhito said with a soft laugh.  "Keep an eye on him."

            _'I will,' _Ryoko promised.  _'I will…'_

            That was as far as she wished to remember of that day.  So much had changed since that spring day so long ago.  She had gained her freedom, but not her hearts desire.  She had gained a family and did not feel alone in the world any more.  She had even gained a sense of absolution for her past deeds.  But one thing had not changed.  She has kept the promise she made. _And I've watched over you everyday since,_ Ryoko thought as she tucked a wind blown wisp of hair back behind her ear.  _And I'll watch over you to the end of time…_

_____

"Come on!" Inoue Toka laughed as she pulled a laughing Hisashi by the arm.  "We'll be late!"  Tenchi chuckled to himself as his best friend was pulled down the crowded by avenue by his girlfriend.  Toka was what he would call an ordinary girl.  She had dark eyes and hair, was roughly his height, and had a medium build.  And she and Hisashi had what he would call an ordinary relationship.  They had been high school sweethearts, having met during their junior year.  Toka had played hard to get from Hisashi had told Tenchi once, but he persevered, and finally won her affections.  When they both passed their entrance exams and were accepted to the University, they moved in together off campus.  Whilst her mother had thought the decision to do so somewhat immoral at first, in the end both families agreed.  The two were nearly inseparable as it was before.

            _Ordinary,_ Tenchi thought.  For the longest he could remember all he ever wanted was an ordinary girlfriend who did not float, fly, come from another planet, or blow holes in the walls and roof, and with that an ordinary relationship.  Just like his friends.  But as he watched Toka and Hisashi walk ahead of him with her head rested on his shoulder, Tenchi found his thoughts kept drifting back to the girls at home.  Mihoshi, Washu, Ryoko, Sasami, and Ayeka; not a one would normally be classified as 'ordinary'.  Not like Hisashi and Toka.

            Yet, these young ladies are what Tenchi had come to see as being normal.  

            _What do I want?_ Tenchi thought.  _I want someone to lay her head on my shoulder and hold my arm, but…I don't even know… _For the briefest of instants his mind raced through the various mental images of each of the girls walking beside him with her head on his shoulder, before he returned to himself.  

            Alone.

            In a house full of women.  A fact his father seemed to delight in.  __

_            What would've mom said about all this?_ Tenchi asked himself.  His mother Kiyone seemed a distant memory now, but he could remember the happiness her mere presence would bring his father.  Deep down, that's what Tenchi wanted.  He wanted someone who would bring light to his life like she had his fathers.  But what would lead to his joy, would lead to another's sorrow.  And that was a reality he dreaded.     

"Hey!  Earth to Tenchi! You in there?"

            "Huh?" came the muffled reply as Tenchi snapped back to reality.  "Yeah," he laughed.  "I'm fine."

            "So what's her name?" Toka asked intuitively, much to the chagrin of Hisashi.

            "That obvious?" Tenchi asked as he held the door for his friends.

            "Yup," Toka laughed as they entered the small café Hisashi had selected for dinner.  The red brick and black wrought iron decor gave the small restaurant an old style western feel, which seemed to be all the rage lately. 

            "It's a little more complicated than that," Hisashi said for Tenchi as they found their table.  "Right?"

            "Basically," Tenchi sighed.

            "What ya'll want to drink?" Hisashi asked, headed for the bar.

            "Surprise us," Toka said.  "So tell me," Toka began again to Tenchi, "what's her name?"

            "Ryoko," Tenchi finally admitted, seeing no out to the conversation.  

            "That's pretty," Toka said.  "Is she the one in the picture Hisashi was telling me about?"

            "All depends," Tenchi sidestepped.  _Why do I get the feeling that I've been set-up? _he nervously thought, half-expecting Ryoko to walk in any second.  

            "The one in the drawing," Toka said in a perturbed tone.  "The story's made it to everyone by now," she continued.

            Tenchi visibly cringed at Toka's revelation.  Why did his life had to be so complicated?  "Yes," he finally admitted, "She is.

            "Forgive her," Hisashi said sheepishly, which elicited a stern look from Toka.  Tenchi knew his friend would have some serious apologizing to do before this night was over.  Only the three bottles of beer Hisashi was carrying with him spared him from any further scorn.

            "I was just making conversation," Toka defended before taking a long draw on her beer.

            "Not bad," Tenchi said after sipping the slightly bitter brew.  The label was one he did not recognize, but it had a fellow in fairly old-fashioned dress holding up a frothed tankard.

            "Sam Adams," Hisashi laughed.  "It's my American half coming out.  So," he cautiously continued, "she didn't…"

            "I did nothing!" Toka blurted out.   

            "Guys," Tenchi laughed as he opened his menu.  "It's all right."

            "I just wanted to know about Miss Mysterious," Toka said with a pout. 

            "It's not honorable to pry," Hisashi said, sounding a bit like Katsuhito.

            "I said it's alright," Tenchi laughed.  "I don't mind."  _Do I?_

            "You were saying before," Hisashi began trying to be as tactful as possible, "you've known miss Ryoko since the two of you were children?"

            "Basically," Tenchi said, a hint of his earlier memory flashing back to him.  _One day I'll hold you for real…  _"Well," he continued, "It feels like that at times."

            "Young love," Toka sighed after deciding on the grilled tuna for dinner.  "That's so romantic.  But what about the other girl Hisashi was telling me about?  The dark haired one?"

            "Ayeka," Tenchi elaborated, deciding on steak for himself with a salad, no carrots, "comes from an old and distinguished family that my grandfather has dealings with."  _Not the truth again, but close enough…_

            "An arranged marriage?" she asked.  "That's a little old-fashioned if you ask me."

            _If Ayeka gets her wish,_ Tenchi caught himself thinking before he realized it.  "Not really…" Tenchi said.  "But she probably wouldn't mind that happening."

            "And Ryoko has designs on you too, right?" Toka inquired again.

            "You could say that," Tenchi laughed thinking of all the times Ryoko had tried to seduce him in one form or another.

            "Would you tell us about them?" Hisashi asked as handed the server his menu.  "What are they like?  I've seen their pictures, but how do they act?"

            "Total opposites," Tenchi began.

            "How so?" Hisashi prompted, with a nod of approval from Toka.

            "Ayeka is quiet and reserved most of the time," Tenchi began.  "Like I said she comes from an old and distinguished family that my grandfather has known for a long time.  She takes great pride in her tradition and upbringing."

            "Very proper acting?" Toka asked with a hint of disdain in her voice.

            "Always," Tenchi said.  "Except when she's mad at Ryoko."

            "Why would she be mad at Ryoko?" 

            "For any number of reasons," Tenchi laughed.  "But mainly for trying to spend time with me."

            "She sounds a little possessive," Hisashi said before calling for another bottle of beer.  

            "I would be too," Toka said in Ayeka's defense, "if some other girl was trying to take you from me." Hisashi gave Toka a lopsided grin and chuckled at her devotion.  "If anyone else would have you," she added with a laugh.

            "But what about Ryoko?" Hisashi asked.  "How does she feel when she sees you with Ayeka at times?"

            Tenchi opened his mouth but promptly closed it.  Biting his bottom lip, he knew exactly how Ryoko acted as of late.  She would just disappear for several hours with a despondent look on her face, like her whole world had just come crashing down around her.  "Sometimes she gets mad as well," Tenchi answered.  _Furious would be more like it…_  "But others she takes it pretty well," he lied.  _Far from it,_ his conscious added for him.

            "Ayeka sounds to be very prim and proper," Toka said, laying her napkin in her lap as the server brought out her salad.  "But what's Ryoko's personality?  You said they're opposites, but how so?"

            Tenchi sat back and seriously pondered the question.  He knew Ryoko took more grief than she deserved most of the time, but had he ever seriously thought about her personality?  "Well," he slowly began, "at times she can be the proverbial bull in the china shop; loud, rambunctious, and slightly overbearing.  But other times," Tenchi said, feeling a ball form in the pit of his stomach.  Why he felt like this, he didn't quite know.  But it seemed to be happening a lot lately.  _'I love you…'_ he remembered her soft spoken words from the last time they talked on the phone…

            "But other times what?" Hisashi prompted.  _Now we're making some progress._  Toka cut her eyes over to her love then back to Tenchi, as the young Masaki was seemingly lost in thought.

            "She can be the most gentle soul on the planet," Tenchi said as visages of Ryoko's tender side flooded his mind.  _Did I just say that aloud?_  "The bravado disappears and the real Ryoko shows through…"

            "She have it rough as a child?" Hisashi asked, trying to get a better feel for Ryoko's personality.

            "You could say that," Tenchi said, a shiver racing up his spine.  Some of things Washu had shown him were horrific, but to him that Ryoko did not exist.  "But those days are behind her now, but the scars are still there," he added thinking of all the nights Ryoko had woken the house with her screams of terror from her nocturnal horrors.

            "Sound's complicated," Toka said eying her bottle of beer.

            "If you only knew the half of it," Tenchi sighed.  

            "Would you mind telling us some more?" Hisashi asked.  "But only if you feel like it.  We don't want to pry."

"I said I don't mind," Tenchi reiterated.  So over the next couple of hours, dinner, and several beers Tenchi told Hisashi and Toka his story.  At times it was highly edited and fictionalized, but in reality the truth was just as strange as any of the fiction he created.  Of course he left out the adventures in space and the tiny fact that none of the young ladies that resided at his fathers house were from earth, but what did matter in the grand scheme of things?  Mihoshi became his dad's cousin from Tokyo on assignment with the Okayama police force, Sasami stayed Ayeka's sister, and Washu was left simply as a friend of the family whom boarded with them as well.

___

            With dinner finished and dessert brought, hot fudge brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, everyone felt content.  Tenchi was amazed at his candidness during the evening.  He had told his friends things he had never told others before, though no one else had ever taken an interest either. 

As Toka toyed with her ice cream, she couldn't help but think of what Tenchi said about Ayeka and Ryoko.  He had not said anything disparaging about either of the young ladies; in fact it was all quite flattering.  But what he did not say spoke more.  Volumes more.  Whilst he did show emotion when speaking of Ayeka, it was nothing like when he spoke of Ryoko.  She could tell that there was something deeper here than he let on, or possibly even realized.  At first she chalked his slight blush up to the alcohol, but it would redden when he mentioned certain things about Ryoko and not Ayeka.  Also the way he fidgeted when asked about Ryoko was a dead give away.  Then atop of it all was the gleam in his eye that she also noticed when Hisashi spoke of her.  _Yep,_ she concluded, _the poor boys got it bad and doesn't even realize it._

But the one thing that bothered her was that Tenchi seemed content to just sit back and let Ryoko and Ayeka fawn over him.  _He won't follow his heart for fear of breaking another…and if he waits forever, he will lose the one he loves… If that happens he'll never forgive himself… _

"So how long they gonna wait on you?" Toka asked as Tenchi finished his dessert.

            "Whatcha mean?" Tenchi asked a little bit puzzled.  "Who's waiting on me?"

            Toka sighed.  "How long do you expect Ryoko and Ayeka to wait on you?" she reiterated, making her point a little clearer.  "It's been four years or so by my count."

            "Toka!" Hisashi hissed.  He could see the flush on Tenchi's cheeks, and wanted to spare him from any more embarrassment.  "That's not your place!"

            "Hush you!" Toka spat, never taking her eyes away from Tenchi's.  "They won't sit around and wait on you forever, at least I wouldn't.  It's obvious they both have feelings for you," she said ticking her points off on her fingers, "and it's quite obvious from watching you here tonight you have feelings for Ryoko!"  Tenchi's eyes darted wide-open at Toka's announcement.  Thunderstruck, all Tenchi could do is mouth unspoken syllables as Hisashi sank lower into his chair.

"I don't want to hurt either of them," Tenchi said, using the same line that had become emblazoned into his memory.

            "And you aren't now?" Toka said flatly.  Once again Tenchi was thunderstruck.  He had never thought of his situation in this light before.

            "Toka!"

            "Not to mention," she said before taking a sip of her after dinner coffee, "it's awful selfish of you."

            "Selfish?" Tenchi asked quietly.  The heat of the moment only added to the flush of the alcohol on his cheeks.  Inside his emotions were riding a roller coaster.  All at once he was furious at himself and Toka, combined with the pangs of guilt and self hate for the thought of inadvertently hurting the girls.

            "Yeah," Toka said, regaining some of her composure.  "It's real selfish of you to hoard their feelings for your self and not return any of them.  How do you think Ryoko feels let alone Ayeka?  I don't know enough about Ayeka, but from what you've said about Ry'ko," she slurred…

            _Ry'ko? Where are ya? _a child's voice played in Tenchi's ears as Toka continued.

            "…It's fairly obvious she cares deeply for you."  Toka swallowed hard to fight the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.  "I'd even go as far to say she loves you…just like I love Hisashi."

            Hisashi ran his free hand thru his hair and grasped Toka's with the other.  "I would have been a little more tactful," he said softly, "but I think she has a point."

            "Of course I do."

            Tenchi chewed his bottom lip as he pondered his friends' advice.  "I've never looked at it that way," Tenchi finally said, barely above a whisper.  _Have I been this big of a fool?  Have I?_

            "Sometimes it takes an outside view," Toka said leaning over and placing a hand on Tenchi's shoulder.  "You have a wonderful thing.  Please don't ruin it or let it slip through your fingers.  I'm willing to bet that whatever you decide, the other will be there for you.  She may be hurt, but hopefully she'll still be your friend." Tenchi nodded as her words sank in.  "And a friend is better than not having one at all."

___

To be continued…

Notes: well here's chapter two for all of your enjoyment, and I hope it held its own to the first installment.  This fic is set in the OVA universe, so Tenchi's mothers name is Kiyone, and several references from the manga have been added in here and there for flavor.  In chapter three, Tenchi finally comes homes for summer vacation.  So things are liable to become interesting.  Now a word of thanks to my sounding boards for this chapter: Di, Andrew, Led, and Malena.  I thank all of you for your feedback and suggestions. You are the best.

William Nichols

                           


	3. Comin' Home

"Tenchi Muyô!" and all characters herein are the property of Pioneer and AIC, save those created by the author.  This is a fanfic, and is done for fun, not profit.  All the warnings from the previous chapters apply to this one as well.

Daydreams 

-by-

William Nichols

** Chapter Three: Comin' Home…**

_He's coming home today…_

Ryoko sighed as she floated down from her perch on the crossbeam spanning the living room.  Ever since Tenchi's last visit on what he called 'Spring Break,' she had been waiting for this day to come.  Of course, if she were the only one waiting on him, things would be better in her mind.  Unfortunately for her, there were four other young women waiting to share his time.  If she got one minute alone with Tenchi, Ryoko would consider herself fortunate.  

            _So why am I so uptight?_ she added as she phased into view next to Sasami.  "Lemme help kiddo," Ryoko offered.

            Never taking an eye off her cooking Sasami nodded over to the steaming bow of soup and platters of rice and other foods.  "If you could take those," she said while slicing a row of vegetables with blinding speed, "it'd help a lot Ryoko."

            "No prob," Ryoko said, hefting the serving bowl of soup.  _Why is my stomach in knots…its just Tenchi coming home, the same boy I have loved for longer than I can remember?  Yeah, no reason to be nervous…  _Placing the server on the table Ryoko began her slow march back to the kitchen.  _Maybe the old man was right, and things will be changing…_She was so consumed by her anticipation that she did not notice her rival for Tenchi's affection heading for the kitchen as well.

"Watch out!" Ayeka squeaked as Ryoko nearly bumped into her.  "Really Ryoko," she admonished.  "You need to be more careful when carrying things."

            "Well if you'd quit thinking you own the road," Ryoko grumbled back, garnering a scowl from Ayeka.  "Oh never mind," she quipped before finishing her trip back to the kitchen. Other days a tiff with princess prissy pants would be welcomed, but not today.  

            "Whatever is the matter with her?" Ayeka asked of anyone who might be listening.  Finding no answer, she took her place at the table, across from the spot where Tenchi used to sit, and as of this afternoon would sit again.

            "Ryoko just has much on her mind," Katsuhito said, pouring his sister a cup of tea.    "Be patient."

            "But that is no excuse," Ayeka sighed, knowing that any further argument would be pointless.

            "Perhaps," Katsuhito answered.  

            "What's all the whispering about?" Washu asked plopping down next to Katsuhito, who gave her a somewhat disconcerted look.  "Talking about Tenchi I see," she surmised after no answer was given to her earlier inquiry.  Ayeka's mild blush confirmed her summation.  _This aught to get her good, _Washu thought as a wicked idea crossed her mind."I can't wait to have my wittle guinea pig back too!" she exclaimed all starry-eyed and with a wild grin. 

            "Now m-m-m-miss Washu!" Ayeka protested, her voice a couple octaves higher than usual.  "You will do no such thing to my Tenchi!"

            "Do what to whose Tenchi?" Ryoko asked as she walked in on Washu's riotous cackling and Ayeka's growing ire.  Ayeka continued to grumble and Washu laughed while Ryoko sat the final serving platter down.  "Last time I checked he was still undecided," Ryoko said calmly, much to the mental prodding of her mother.

            "O-o-o-o-h!" Ayeka fumed as Ryoko silently took her place across from her, next to Tenchi's empty seat.

            "Please," Mihoshi begged, scooping a heaping helping of rice onto her plate as she did so, "don't spoil this wonderful breakfast by fighting."  Ryoko nodded with a sly grin and Ayeka humphed in response.      

_It has been a while since we fought, _Ryoko thought as breakfast quietly continued.  _Not since the last time Tenchi came home.  Maybe we can keep the fighting down after gets in today too._

:: That would be a good idea.:: Ryoko heard in the back of her mind.

            :: How many times have I told you to stop listening to my thoughts?:: she shot back across to the pintsized genius sitting at the head of the table.

            :: But they can be so juicy!:: Washu cackled back.  :: Especially when you think about Tenchi…::

            Instantly Ryoko blushed.  ::Why you little…:: she cursed towards Washu.

            "Now, now little Ryoko," Washu playfully chided, drawing confused stares from the others, save Katsuhito.  "You shouldn't talk about your mommy like that."

            "Ladies," Katsuhito warned placidly.  "Such is not proper conversation for the breakfast table."

            "Yes sir," Ryoko said, a dangerous gleam in her eye still directed towards Washu, who seemed to be smiling bigger than her face was capable.

            "And you should respect your daughters privacy," he admonished Washu, in much the same tone he had spoken to Ryoko.

            "Sorry," Washu said softly, to which garnered an out stuck tongue from Ryoko.  Still, everyone else was predominantly in the dark.

            "I don't even want to know," Ayeka whispered, inaudible to most at the table.

            _It's best you don't,_ Ryoko reflected inwardly.  Her demons were her own personal battle.  Not to call Washu one of her demons, but she could be annoying, and to know that she had been eavesdropping on her fantasies about Tenchi was wee bit disconcerting.  She'd have to have a talk with her '_mother'_ about that later.   The gods only knew she did not want to know Washu fantasized about, if she even had fantasies.

            :: But you want to know what Tenchi fantasizes about, :: Washu jabbed, before throwing a firewall up around her end of her link with Ryoko.  It was a good thing too, because Ryoko's response was most unladylike.

___      

"Now," Ayeka began, "that breakfast is finished, we all have things to do around here to prepare for Lord Tenchi's arrival."

"Not me," Ryoko said flatly, floating up and away from the table.  

"Most certainly you!" Ayeka demanded, her voice raising an octave or two in the space of the short sentence.  "You will not shirk your responsibilities today!"

"She is right," Katsuhito announced coolly as he too rose from the table.

"See!" Ayeka gloated, finally hoping that someone would teach the slacker pirate a lesson.

"Ryoko is working in the shrine for me today," the aged priest elaborated. 

 Ayeka just looked back and forth between the stoic Katsuhito and the nodding and grinning Ryoko.  "Eh?" she asked, her elated look replaced with one half way between confusion and disbelief.

"Yup," the demoness concurred.  "So old man," she said, "I'll see you there."  With that Ryoko shimmered out of sight accompanied by the familiar chime of her teleportation.

"Always something…." Ayeka grumbled as Katsuhito excused himself from the table to see to his errant day laborer.  "All right!" she continued to the others.  "First…"

Katsuhito chuckled to himself as he heard his sister bark off the orders for everyone.  Ayeka had always taken to palace life better than he had.  Whilst the serenity of a library or the placidness of a garden would suffice for him, Ayeka enjoyed taking charge of things in the palace.  Many of the royal servants would cringe when they saw her approach, for fear of what she would impose on them next.  

_Something's never change,_ he thought.  He knew that Mihoshi, Washu, and his younger sister would all be rather busy this day.  Ayeka had quite a gala of festivities planned for Tenchi's return, although Tenchi had expressly asked for her not too.

The old priest just shook his head as he began the terraced accent to the shrine. _Ayeka is in love with the lad, and I hope she is strong enough to handle his decision…_Katsuhito allowed himself another soft chuckle.  _He has not yet returned and I am giving his heart to Ryoko…for all I know my intuition may be wrong._  But inside, he hoped it was not.  Ryoko had suffered for so long in that sensory deprived confines of the cave.  

But he knew that she held onto a glimmer of hope.

Those long years ago, when they clashed in the time when Japan was young, he had been granted a vision.  When the blade of Tenchi-ken pierced Ryoko's neck and absorbed the first gem, her experiences were flash burned into his consciousness. And in that instant he lived her five long, cruel millennia, he saw that one moment shined above all else.

Surrounded by an aura of Jurai energy, he knew this instance was a gift to her from Tsunami.  Therein he did not see the bloodthirsty, savage, Destroyer of Worlds, but a kind soul not deserving of the fate he was so bent on inflicting.  Also therein he saw his future.  It was not his to return to Jurai as the conquering hero and take the throne by his sister's side.  His was to remain on the tiny blue and green planet of his mothers' birth.  His was to sire a lineage of humble priests who would guard the legend of the demon to be entombed in the shrine he would found.

It was his to bring this vision granted by a nameless tree to pass.

To bring this glimmer of hope that Ryoko held onto to pass.

The ascent up the ancient stone flight seemed to pass all to quickly.  As his graying head and bespectacled face crested the plain of the shrine yard, he found his ward standing ready.  "Hmmm?" he asked of Ryoko as he got a glimpse of her.  

She only smiled in response as he finally stepped into the yard.  "What?"  Hands behind her back, Ryoko stood wearing a white tunic and red hakama.  "You like?"

"That is the attire of a shrine maiden," Katsuhito said, his eyes traveling up and down Ryoko's form.

"You don't approve?"

"It is not a matter of approval but more of a matter as why?" Katsuhito said, his hand to his chin as he studied his ward.

Ryoko smiled.  "Ya want me to work for ya naked?"  A trace of Tenchi-esque blush crossed beneath Katsuhito's rectangular spectacles as he obviously imagined just that.  "It doesn't bother me," she said slyly, tugging at the hakama's first knot.

"That would not be appropriate," Katsuhito said with a cough.  "The hakama can stay."  Ryoko giggled and twirled around, the hem of the wide pants pinwheeling out slightly.  "But respect it's honor," he warned.  Ryoko nodded and settled back into her rigid stance.  "What would Tenchi say if he saw you dressed as such?" Katsuhito asked as he began to pace around Ryoko.

"You think he'd be mad?" she asked, a slight tremor in her voice.  _Would he yell at me and make me change?  Would he?_

The aged shrine master chuckled as he imagined Tenchi's response to Ryoko's attire.  "He would probably just stand there and mutter incoherently," he said still chuckling.

"I can see that now," Ryoko said, trying to stymie her own laughter.  The old man was right.  As good as she looked right now, Tenchi would probably get a nosebleed and just mumble incoherent syllables trying not to make a fool out of himself.  "Thanks," she said finally breaking the stilled silence.  "I really didn't want to slave for Ayeka today." 

Katsuhito laughed.  "Do not think I will be any laxer a taskmaster."  

"Yes sir!" Ryoko said, snapping a rigid salute as Katsuhito continued to pace around her.

"You have come along way," he said solemnly.  "So different from those long days ago."

"Hey!  What's that supposed to mean?" she shot back, eyebrow raised.

"There will time for philosophy later," Katsuhito replied.  "But first the steps need sweeping and the shrine floors holystoned."  He paused and stroked his chin while Ryoko waited for more orders.  "That should keep you busy enough."

"I'd say," she halfway grumbled.

"Work is a blessing," the aged priest intoned as he retreated to the office.

After the rice paper doors had slid shut, Ryoko sighed.  _Well, _she thought,_ at least I'm not prancing around for Ayeka._  _Poor Sasami.  Ayeka's gonna run her ragged today.  I love the kid, but her sister can be too much._

___

_            How did Tenchi do this every day?_ Ryoko thought as she smeared the sweat on her forehead with her forearm.  Sweeping the steps had not been too bad.  The morning was pleasant and a cool breeze had kept the temperature down, but after lunch the temperature had risen in the early afternoon.  In Ryoko's book anything that allowed her to spend time away from Ayeka was a good thing, even it was sweeping two hundred thirty-seven stone stairs from top to bottom, of which she counted everyone.  But this, was nearly too much.

            Her knees were hurting and her fingertips felt raw as she scooted across the shrine floor, scouring them with the flat piece of sandstone.  _Holystone the shrine floors…_she thought.  _Rather like hell-stone the friggin' floors,_ she concluded.  The scritch of the stone on the old hardwood floors stopped momentarily as she caught scent of Ayeka's perfume.  _What does she want?_ Ryoko groaned inwardly before she resumed her chore, for fear of Ayeka starting a fuss over catching her in a moment of break. 

            Ryoko strained to hear the muffled conversation between Ayeka and Katsuhito over the constant scuffing of the holystone.  It sounded like Ayeka was demanding that Ryoko lend a hand at the house, and that her older brother was holding his ground.  _Chattering like a chipmunk, _Ryoko laughed inwardly.  Finally she heard what sounded like a royal 'hmmmph' and the door to the shrine office sliding shut.  _The old man must have won, _she concluded as she dipped her rag into the water pail and twisted it out.  A swipe later and the final swath of floor had been preened.  

            Inhaling the pungent mixture of sweat, hardwoods and incense, Ryoko sighed in relief.   "Done!" she announced, proud of her days work.

            "Not bad," came the voice of Katsuhito from out of nowhere.

            "Don't do that!" Ryoko shrieked, nearly jumping out of her hakama and skin.

            "Like I said before," the old priest began with a chuckle.  "Your reflexes are slowing."

            "Next thing you'll be telling me that my breast are sagging too," she grumbled, hopefully beneath the old mans level of hearing.

            "Only Washu says that," Katsuhito retorted.  The visible cringe from Ryoko was worth the cheapness of the jab.  "Sagging or not," he continued, "you have done a fair days work, and I'm giving you the evening off."  

Ryoko looked up slightly confused.  "I don't have to go help Ayeka?"

"No."

"Wonderful."

"Go get ready for Tenchi," the priest advised.  "I suspect he will be glad to see you this evening."

"If you say so," Ryoko half-heartedly returned, her earlier misgivings creeping back into her subconscious.

"I do," Katsuhito acknowledged, laying a comforting hand on Ryoko's shoulder.  "Just remember to be a lady."

"Like that prissy sister of yours?" she asked, shirking back from his reach.  "No way in hell!"

"No," Katsuhito sternly replied.  "Not like Ayeka.  But not like the Ryoko of seven hundred years ago either."

"So?" she asked, not quite comprehending his cryptic response.

"Be the Ryoko that have been lately, the one since Tenchi has been gone."

"Whatever," Ryoko shot back.  "I'll be myself."

"That is what I was saying," Katsuhito said, to a perplexed look from Ryoko.  "I told you that there would be time for philosophy later," he chuckled.  "Go now.  Tenchi will home in a few hours.  Relax."

"I think I understand," Ryoko said with a slight smile.  "Thanks old man," she added before phasing out of sight with a chime.

Katsuhito chuckled.  "To be young and in love." With that he collected Ryoko's scrub bucket and holystone and retired to the house.

___

            A fraction of a second after she left the shrine Ryoko rematerialized in the women's side of the Onsen.  A smile crossed Ryoko's face as she strolled towards the warm pools of water, her clothes landing in an unceremonious heap, phased out of with a thought.  A soft sigh, almost a purr, exited Ryoko's lips as the warmth of the springs soothed the first cramped muscles in her legs.   The next sigh was most definitely a purr of pleasure as she slid her sore back into the water.  Ryoko was nearly in bliss by the time she settled into the breast high water.                 

            "Oh me…" she moaned, her taut leg muscles finally beginning to relax.  Not since her days under Kagato's cruelty had so many muscles ached at once.  A shiver raced up her spine in spite if the Onsen's heat at the thought of those days.  But this time, she didn't mind the pain. "Now I know why Tenchi would be so worn out most days," she added as the muscles in her back relaxed, knots of stress coming unfurled. 

            "Much better," she sighed after procuring a saucer of warm sake from the floating basket.  After a hard days work the astringent liquor tasted even better, its heat rolling down her throat.

            _Taste,_ she thought.  _At least a few good things did come from my assimilation with Zero.  I'd forgot how enjoyable tasting things could be, amongst other things,_ she added with a happy smile.  One of the spring's underwater vents was nestled right up against her backside, jetting its warm water between her legs.  

            "Especially this," she purred after shifting her bottom so that the jet flowed across her just right.  "Ohhh…" she sighed.  The water jet felt oh so tantalizing, and after today's work, she decided that it was a pleasure she deserved.  Ryoko allowed her left hand to caress her ample cleavage, pausing just long enough to catch her nipple between her thumb and forefinger.  Floating the emptied sake saucer in the water, Ryoko let her other hand follow its opposites movements.

            Soft moans escaped Ryoko's lips as her hands caressed her alabaster skin.  As one hand would slide down the other would track in the opposite direction, trying to catch every erogenous zone as possible.  Self-pleasure was something she had not known during her days as Kagato's monster.  In his infinite cruelties he had disabled the parts of her brain that conducted pleasurable nerve impulses of all kinds.  This left Ryoko only the cold feelings of the automaton he wanted, pain being the foremost.  It was not until her assimilation with Zero did Ryoko rediscover such things as taste and the true feelings of being aroused, which by now, she was very.

            After shifting once more so that the water jet was once again venting between the crease of her rear end, Ryoko tentatively slipped a finger between her legs, her warmth indistinguishable from that of the spring around her.  Just as quickly as her finger had darted in it retreated, its owning hand tracing back up her stomach to her breasts.

            Overwhelmed by the warmth of the Onsen and the warmth from within, Ryoko began to daydream that her hands were those of Tenchi, finally lavishing the affection on her that she so desperately craved…

-

            Soft morning light radiated into the bedroom, casting white warmth onto the two occupants of the large, mahogany bed.  The red, navy and white harlequin patterned quilt hung half on, half off the king-sized mattress revealing the powder blue sheets.  Extending out from those selfsame sheets was a long, alabaster leg, of who the majority of its owner was under the quilt.  But what could be seen was a shock of cyan hair and a pair of long arms wrapped around a well-tanned body topped with a plait of dark hair.

            "Morning," Ryoko said to Tenchi, who had just opened his chocolate eyes. 

            "Morning my love," he returned, looking into Ryoko's orbs of amber.  Ryoko just moaned happily as his lips darted up and landed on hers for the briefest of morning kisses.

            "That's not fair," she playfully protested as Tenchi had broken the kiss off before she had wanted him too.

            Tenchi smiled warmly at his love.  "Then how about this?"  Before Ryoko could say anything he rushed his lips to hers in a loving embrace.  Another soft purr educed from Ryoko showed him her satisfaction.  Instinctively Tenchi flicked his tongue into Ryoko's mouth, tracing around the point of one of her fangs, with which she playfully nipped at him.

            Tenchi chuckled softly as he pulled back from the kiss to look into Ryoko's eyes.  She saw a placid yet excited visage that mirrored her own.  They knew that this was right, and that one another's love was readily returned.

            "What?" Ryoko asked in response to his playful titter.

            "Nothing," he lovingly replied as he shifted his weight on top of her.  Ryoko quickly wrapped her arms around him again and drew Tenchi into a fiery kiss.  Her tongue played with his as she dragged her fingernails down Tenchi's back, pale streaks left in their wake.  Tenchi groaned softly as Ryoko's hands came to a rest on his buttocks and gave him tight squeeze.

            "You have a cute ass," she giggled in his ear before nibbling on his earlobe.

            "So I've been told," he said softly into her ear, before tracing gentle kisses down her neck.  Shivers raced down Ryoko's back as his hot breath washed over her cool skin.  Ryoko could tell Tenchi was feeling impish, as he traced his tongue over the newly formed goose flesh on Ryoko's neck.

            "That tickles," she laughed playfully, knowing full well that such an admonition would only fuel Tenchi's desires.  Ryoko smiled playfully as Tenchi's tongue traced down the nave of her neck to the top of her breasts.  His moment of indecision was fleeting before he decided that her right breast deserved attention first.        

            Ryoko's soft moans told Tenchi that his actions were appreciated.  Flicking his tongue across her bullet like nipple, Tenchi then traced the rough skin of Ryoko's areola eliciting more hushed vocalizations. Moving to Ryoko's left breast, Tenchi lavished it with the same pampering her had given its twin, all the while keeping a free hand on the free mound.

            Finally Tenchi began to trace kisses down Ryoko's firm belly, pausing at her navel to look up into her amber eyes.  Her breathing was coming in short breaths, as was his, both of their fires sufficiently stoked.  

            "Don't stop," she breathed, almost pleading with him.  To stop now would be the cruelest of tortures.

            "I won't" Tenchi promised, before he resumed his trail of soft kisses down t her stomach.  Ryoko inhaled sharply as he caught the soft skin above her patch of cyan fur in his lips.  Her hips twitched as Tenchi sat up on his knees and gently extended her leg to its full length.  Starting at her ankle, he gently, lovingly kissed its full length down to her inner thigh.

            With pleading eyes Ryoko watched Tenchi stop tantalizingly close to her sex.  A shiver of ghostly fingers traversed her spine as he paused for those long seconds, his hot breath rolling over her.  Then as suddenly as he stopped, Tenchi took her other leg in the same fashion, lovingly kissing down its length to her inner thigh once more.        

            Ryoko sighed contented as Tenchi, her Tenchi finally traced his tongue towards her vulva.  Gently, he spread the wings of flesh and wafted the scent of her arousal.  Ryoko's hips twitched as his first kisses and strokes of tongue came gently, lovingly.  Ryoko ground her backside into the bed sheets as Tenchi deepened his probing, letting an occasional lick stroke up to her clitoris.  The feelings were more than electric as Tenchi finally focused in on her most erogenous of zones. 

            "Oh gods…" Ryoko whimpered as the sensations intensified, tracers and after images flashing behind her eyes.  Her breaths came in ragged huffs as Tenchi solidified his efforts to bring her to climax.  Each stroke of the tongue and tender nibble brought Ryoko that much closer to the loving release she so desperately desired, that she so desperately needed. 

            "Tenchi!" she implored, nearing her release.  "Ten-n-n-n-n-chi!"

-

            "Tenchi what? You demon?" Ayeka sneered as she slid back the door to the woman's side of the Onsen, sidestepping the rumpled pile of Ryoko's discarded clothes.  After toiling all day to make sure Tenchi had a princely welcome, the last thing she wanted was to hear Ryoko's lust ridden imaginings.  "Disgraceful," the princess added snidely.

            Ryoko cursed under her breath as Ayeka dragged her kicking and screaming back to reality.  

            "To think you would court Tenchi," Ayeka chided, taking a seat a good ways from Ryoko. 

            "What's that sup'sed to mean?" Ryoko fired back, wondering what Ayeka could be up to.

            "I mean," Ayeka, continued, "you honestly don't think Tenchi would really do that with you?  Do you?"  Ryoko just sat there silently as Ayeka continued.  "A prince of Jurai would only want to give himself to someone as pure as he is," the princess finished.  

            Ryoko bit her bottom lip and forced down a half-sob.  Ayeka was probably right, and if Tenchi new everything about her past like he said Washu showed him, he knew of her indiscretions as well.  Just as she was about to phase out of the Onsen and let Ayeka have her victory a thought dawned on Ryoko.  _Past indiscretion's, _she remembered, _just hold on there…_

"What about yourself?" Ryoko volleyed back.

            "Whatever do you mean?" Ayeka said in a nasally, somewhat offended timbre.

            "Just remembering something," Ryoko chuckled.  _Oh yes,_ she thought.  _This will shut miss princess prissy pants up!_  By now Ayeka had turned around to face Ryoko and she could see the glimmer of trepidation in the princesses' eyes.  "Something from before I attacked Jurai," the former destroyer of worlds elaborated.

            Ayeka just stared intently at Ryoko, unsure of what she was getting at, but obviously, it was of no good.  "What are you lying about now," Ayeka weakly defended.

            "Not a lie," Ryoko corrected.  "When I was casing the planet for a couple months before I attacked," she said with a sardonic grin, "I seems to remember a certain princess was in the news a good bit."

            "Well I am a princess," Ayeka said very snootily.

            _More like a royal bitch, _Ryoko somehow managed to keep from saying aloud.  "Well if my memory serves, which it does," Ryoko confirmed, "there was quite a stink about that certain princess involved in a scandalous romance with another noble when she was already betrothed to the crown prince…"

            Ayeka just deadpanned.  "You wouldn't dare!" she exclaimed, her face full of disbelief that someone remembered that ugly little piece of history.

            "I would," Ryoko answered, "and faster than Ryo-ohki would go after a carrot too."

            Ayeka studied the pirates determined visage.  _She's not bluffing,_ the cornered princess thought.  _And knowing my luck Washu could find the pictures to back her up._

            "So what's it gonna be princess?" Ryoko inquired, very much enjoying the look of consternation on Ayeka's face.

            "I will not say anything if you do not," the princess offered.

            "Deal."

            Ayeka quietly thanked Tsunami as Ryoko floated up from the bath, dripping water onto the wooden floors.  "Now if you would excuse me," Ryoko continued, "I need to get ready for _my _Tenchi."

            Before Ayeka could say anything in response Ryoko and her pile of disheveled clothing faded from sight.  Sighing, Ayeka settled back into the warm bath.  "Why me?" she asked of whomever might be listening.  "Why me…"

_____

            "On the count of three: one, two, three!"

            With a grunt Tenchi hefted his end of the drafting table and with the help of his father wrestled it into the back of the Mitsubishi minivan.  The real chore had been getting the heavy piece of furniture down the two flights of stairs from Tenchi's apartment to the van.  After that the Masaki men took a moment to catch their breath and rest before their backs, they finally got the last of Tenchi's belongings into the minivan.

            "Whew!" Nobuyuki sighed, wiping his forehead with the back of his forearm.  "That's the last of it."

            "Yup," Tenchi replied between pants.

            "Too bad they make you clear out during the summer," Nobuyuki whined, dreading the move back in the fall already.

            "I know," Tenchi agreed, slamming the hatchback shut.  He too knew that in a few scant months that they would have to repeat this labor-intensive job.  _How did I fit so much stuff into such a small apartment?_ he wondered to himself.  "Maybe we can get Washu to help," he said getting into the van.

            "Now there's an idea," Nobuyuki chimed.  Anything that meant he did not have to lug that thing back those stairs was a good idea.  Of course, Washu had offered to teleport or something like that all of Tenchi's belongings back to Okayama, but he had refused.  Nobuyuki had wanted to some quality father/son bonding time, and this was the perfect opportunity.

            "Yeah," Tenchi seconded, imagining the same high-tech help that his father was.  But quickly his grin changed as he remembered what usually happened to Washu's experiments and gadgets.  "Then again," he said with a little trepidation.

            "I see your point," Nobuyuki added, imagining the same thing.  All he needed was for Washu to fry or transport Tenchi's belongings to another part of the universe was all he needed.  Just another expense for him to meet.   "Well, let's get on the road."

              For the longest, Tenchi just sat and idly chitchatted with his father.  They had a lot to get caught up on, mainly the three games series coming up between their favorite baseball teams, the _Yomiuri Giants _and the _Hiroshima Toyo Carp._  The elder Masaki favored the _Giants_, whilst Tenchi had become quite a _Carp_ fan as of late.

            "I'm tellin' ya that the _Carp _aren't going to win," Nobuyuki elaborated, citing that their best hitter was hurt on the bench.  Tenchi's argument rested on the brilliant season the _Carp's _pitching staff was having, but he did admit that the _Giants _had the best slugger in the league.

            "Still," the younger Masaki conceded, "it will be a good series."

            "That it will be."

            Once again the pair fell into silence.  Nobuyuki thrummed his fingers on the steering wheel while Tenchi watched the rolling hills of the Okayama Prefecture creep into view as the metropolis of Hiroshima vanished behind them.  "My grades will be in a week or so," Tenchi finally said.

            "How'd ya do son?" Nobuyuki asked.  He knew that this was just a formality.  Tenchi always made top marks.

            "I was worried about a few classes," Tenchi said, a hint of true concern in his voice, "but I think I pulled off the grade."

            "I'm proud of you," the elder Masaki said truthfully.  He was.  

            "Thank you," Tenchi said quietly.  Whilst school had gone well enough, his mind and heart were still in turmoil.  Toka's words had only added to his inner strife, which his recent dreams and fantasies had not been helping.  He obviously had feelings for Ryoko, but he wasn't sure exactly what they were.  All he knew was things were going to be interesting to say the least when he got home.

            Nobuyuki watched his son's reflections in the minivans window.  He could tell by that look something was bothering him, but the lad was adept at keeping his feelings to himself.  "What's bothering you son?" Nobuyuki finally inquired.

            Tenchi just sighed.  Perhaps his father could provide some insight.  He was his dad, right?  And this is the type of thing most guys talked to their dads about, right?  "I was just thinking," Tenchi began cryptically.

            "What about?" _Must be something big to be bothering him this much._

            "Well," Tenchi began to hem haw, "its that…I mean…" _Dammit!  Why does this have to be so hard?_

            "Girl troubles?" Nobuyuki proffered.  _Since when does he not have girl troubles…five of them to be exact!_

"You could say that," Tenchi finally admitted.  "Dad?" he asked slowly.

            "Yes son?"

            "How did you know when you were falling in love with mom?"

            Nobuyuki was caught off guard by his sons query.  For a moment his eyes glassed over as long gone images of him and his dear Kiyone flashed across his mind.  A picnic in the woods; a walk home after school; a kiss stolen when no one was looking; many things he had seemingly forgotten about.  Blinking, a tear escaped his eyes.  "It's kinda hard to explain," Nobuyuki said, trying to put his emotions to some sensible words.  "It's a wonderful and nervous feeling all at the same time.  You are happy beyond measure and scared to death."

            "Kind of like a knot in the pit of your stomach?" Tenchi asked.  His father's words had described exactly how he had been feeling of late when Ryoko would call and when Toka had grilled him on the matter.  _Could I be?_

"Are you trying to tell me something son?" Nobuyuki asked, wondering just why Tenchi had brought the subject up now.

            "I don't know," Tenchi said honestly.  "I really don't."

            "Well," Nobuyuki said in his best fatherly tone, "I won't pry."

            "Thank you," Tenchi sighed.

            "But promise one thing," his father added.

            "What's that?" Tenchi asked cautiously.  Promising his father something regarding this subject could be dangerous.

            "Just love whomever it is with all your heart, and treat her like she is your whole world."

            Tenchi smiled.  "I will dad."  With that, Nobuyuki let the subject ride, content that his son had an interest in one of the young ladies in their house, or maybe it was one he met at school.  It didn't matter to him.  He just wanted his son to be happy.

            Tenchi settled into his seat and watched the countryside pass by.  The bright greens of spring had settled into the darker shades of summer and a few fluffy clouds drifted across the otherwise blue sky.  The hum of the road coupled with the low volume of the radio was more than enough to lull Tenchi into a state of drowsiness.  The past few days had been utterly hectic, and his energy reserves were depleted.  With his previous conversation with Hisashi and Toka added to what his father had just said replaying through his mind, Tenchi drifted off into a thought filled sleep…

-

            Tenchi nodded to the couple that had just left the shrine.  The sun was laying low in the surrounding mountains and he figured that would be the last visitors of the day.  A broad smile crossed his face as the older couple made their descent down the olden stone stairway.  The woman had complimented him on his lovely wife, and Tenchi was beaming.

            "What are you smiling about?" someone whispered into his ear as a pair of slender arms wrapped around his chest from behind.

            Tenchi turned to look his wife in the eyes and returned her smile.  "I was just complimented on what a wonderful wife you are."

            "They don't know me very well, do they?" Ryoko said playfully, laying her head on Tenchi's shoulder.

            Tenchi laughed softly.  "But I do."  With that he pressed his lips to Ryoko's in a passionate kiss.  

"Hold on," she said softly into his ear, momentarily breaking the kiss.  

            Tenchi felt a slight disorientation as he rematerialized in their bedroom in the old house down by the lake, but he never broke the kiss.  Soft moans escaped from both of them as Ryoko levitated the pair towards the bed, still not breaking the kiss.  In a quick motion Tenchi found himself being pulled on top of Ryoko as she fell back onto the soft mattress.

            Goose flesh prickled Tenchi's neck as Ryoko's hands ran down his back, clawing at him through his shirt.  "I love you," he said, rising to his knees.

            "You too," Ryoko returned, looking up at Tenchi.  Both meant it.

            Ryoko held her hands behind her head as Tenchi smoothed his over her body.  Tenchi eyed every inch of his loves body.  He smiled as a giggle escaped from his wife as he cupped his hands over her breast and toyed a finger along the hem of her gi.  Ryoko cooed as Tenchi traced his hands down her legs though her red hakama.  Out of oft-drilled memory the meanings of the garments seven folds flowed across his mind as he explored and admired his wife's body.  _Yuki_ for courage; _Jin_ for charity; _Gi_ for righteousness; _Rei _for civility; _Makoto_ for honesty; _Chugi_ for devotion; and _Meiyo _for honor.  All seven folds embodied Ryoko to Tenchi, but _Chugi _and _Meiyo _stood at the forefront.  He would always honor his love with eternal devotion.

            "Whatcha thinkin'?" Ryoko asked, snapping Tenchi from his moment lost in thought.

            "Of how much I love you," he honestly and openly returned, accepting her hand and pulling Ryoko up to a sitting position whilst he eased back.  

            "How much is that?" Ryoko toyed before Tenchi met her lips again.  "That's a lot," she laughed after they finally broke the kiss.

            "Let me show you more," Tenchi begged, as he began to work the outer knot on her hakama.  Ryoko scooted closer to Tenchi, intertwining their legs so that he could reach her more easily.  Tenchi grunted as he tried to unthread the intricately laced series of knots, knowing full well once this one was done, he had another to untie in the back.

            "What's so funny?" he inquired as Ryoko giggled at him.  After loosing the first wrap of the ties, Tenchi had turned them into a muddled mess, hopelessly tangled.

            "Just you silly," she returned, seeing his face grow even redder.  

Tenchi grimaced as he felt his cheeks grow warm.  Even after so many years that old blush of his had a way of creeping up on him.  He only thanked the gods that he grew out of those damned nosebleeds… 

"Allow me," Ryoko proffered, floating an arms length away from Tenchi. 

 Tenchi was certain she was content with his current state of consternation.  "Fine," Tenchi playfully pouted as Ryoko's muddled hakama disappeared from her body with a chime and reappeared neatly folded by the bedside.  "Adding insult to injury," Tenchi sulked.

"Oh hush you!" Ryoko said playfully.  Tenchi could barely respond before Ryoko pounced him, pinning him to the bed.  "Now I have you," she laughed.

"Yes you do," Tenchi breathed, slipping his hands inside her gi and cupping her breasts again.  He could feel her nipples behind the fabric of her bra.  Ryoko moaned softly as he pulled the under-wire up allowing her spill out of the brassiere.  

"I want you," she purred, grinding the cotton of her panties into the wool of his navy hakama.  "Badly," she added for emphasis, incase her hips were not making the point clear enough.

"I know," Tenchi, breathed, feeling his own fires beginning to take hold.  "I want you too."

"Then take me," Ryoko begged, rolling over so that Tenchi was atop of her.

Tenchi inhaled sharply as he felt Ryoko's nails on his newly exposed buttocks, his hakama and boxers having been removed in the same manner as his loves.  Tenchi brought his hands down her sides till he came to the elastic band of her panties.  The look in his eye said he wanted this privilege instead of having them unceremoniously phased out of.  Tenchi smiled as Ryoko ease her hips up off the bed so that he could have this honor.

"I love you," she said coolly, trying to contain her excitement. 

"I love you too," Tenchi began, "more than life itself my Ryoko."

Ryoko only nodded as Tenchi slid his erection into her warm insides.  Tenchi breathed in as the heat of Ryoko vagina mingled with his own warmth.  Very little else was said as Tenchi matched his thrusts to Ryoko's gyrations.  Nothing had to be said.  Their love for one another was explicitly confirmed by the look mirrored in their eyes.  Words would be superfluous.  

"I love you," Tenchi said anyway, his voice trembling.  

"I know," Ryoko, affirmed, her voice equally shaky.

"Ryoko…" Tenchi muttered, his drive increasing as Ryoko wrapped her lengthy legs around his buttocks and pulled him closer.  "Oh gods…" he muttered, feeling the first signs of climax.  Ryoko's sharp breaths and fingernails in his back told him she was not far behind.

"Tenchi…" Ryoko moaned, feeling the warmth of his release in her.  "Tenchi…"

-

"Tenchi?"

"Shhhh…" Nobuyuki warned Ayeka and Ryoko as he got out of the minivan.  Night had fallen, and Tenchi had been asleep for most of the drive.  "He's out cold," the elder Masaki explained.

"Oh," Ryoko said, somewhat dejectedly.  She had been so worked up over today that this seemed to be overly anti-climatic.

"What about my party?" Ayeka asked in a hushed whisper that did not hide her annoyance.

"Sorry," Nobuyuki said.  "I'm not waking him."

"But…"

"No buts," he continued.  "He's had a busy few days, and you can party tomorrow night.  Everything will keep."

"I guess…" Ayeka sighed, her dejection mirroring Ryoko's.   

"Ryoko?" Nobuyuki whispered as he opened the van door, "will you carry him up to his room?"

"Sure," Ryoko said quietly as the elder Masaki stepped out of her way.  

Nobuyuki glanced over his shoulder and saw a glower on Ayeka's face.  He knew that look, and he quickly moved to diffuse it.  "And Ayeka, would you carry his suitcase so he has his stuff for in the morning?"

Ryoko smiled lopsidedly as Nobuyuki finished his request.  _Probably for the best,_ she thought.  _I don't want to fight tonight…my hearts just not in it…_

"Ready?" Ayeka asked as she hefted the travel bag.  

"Lead the way," Ryoko said.

Nobuyuki smiled as he watched the two young ladies help his son up to his bedroom.  Tenchi's question had awakened many fond memories he had long thought forgotten, and had offered a glimpse that his son was finally coming out of his painful shyness.  That and Tenchi's drowsed mumblings had given him an inkling of who his son was dreaming.  

"I hope your dream comes true," Nobuyuki said, closing the vans sliding door.  "I truly do…"

To be continued…

Notes:  First, allow me to apologize for the lengthy delay between chapters.  My academic writing for graduate school has severely cut into my fanfic writing time, along with having the good fortune of having the most wonderful young lady come into my life at about the same time.  

            Second, a huge thank you goes out to Diane Long and Malena for being my 'consultants' on this chapter.  Your help was invaluable.

            Thirdly, a thanks goes out to all my buddies who have leant an attentive ear throughout this process.  Ya'll are the greatest.

            Now I know what ya'll are saying:  'Hurry up with the next chapter!'  I will as soon as class and other things (read the aforementioned wonderful young lady) will allow.  

Later my friends.

William 'Thundergod' Nichols 11/18/02    

 __


	4. A Princess' Strength

"Tenchi Muyô!" and all characters herein are the property of Pioneer and AIC, save those created by the author.  This is a fanfic, and is done for fun, not profit.  All the warnings from the previous chapters apply to this one as well.

**DayDreams**

-by-

William Nichols

Chapter Four: A Princess' Strength 

            Tenchi awoke with a stretch and a moan before he shot out of bed like a bolt, wondering just where he was.  But just as quickly he realized he was in his own bedroom.  "Dad must have brought me in last night," he mumbled, seeing that he was still wearing his clothes from the day before.  His travel bag was placed neatly aside the closet door and his shoes rested next to the bag.

            A further yawn escaped Tenchi as he swung his feet over the side of the bed and placed them on the hardwood floors.  A shiver raced up one leg forcing the young Masaki to look down.  Naturally, one sock was missing.   A quick hunt beneath the comforter yielded its quick return.

            With a stretch Tenchi ambled towards the door.  He had almost forgotten how good it was to sleep in his own bed rather than the boxy one he had in his apartment.  His slippers found, he began to descend the stairs.  

            Upon reaching the second floor landing, Tenchi got his first view of the previous nights abortive festivities in his honor.  "Oh boy…" he mumbled as he saw the large multi-colored banner that spanned the living room emblazoned with meter-high kanji proclaiming his welcomed return.  Paper lanterns and multi-colored streamers hung from the ceiling joists in addition to the banner.  A four-meter banquet table stood in front of the double doors leading to the deck laden with every type of fare and cuisine imaginable. Hovering above the table was a gunmetal-colored, crab-looking device emitting a green field over the food- obviously Washu's handy work.  From the clatter from below he could tell that breakfast was well underway.  That and the heavenly scent wafting throughout the house was another give away.

            Tenchi made his way down the stairs, fully expecting to be glomped or at least pelted with good mornings, but none came his way.  In fact, no one was down for breakfast yet, save what sounded like Sasami, Ryo-ohki, and Ryoko?  At first Tenchi thought he was imagining things.  Ryoko was never up this early, much less helping out.  _But you've been gone for a year,_ he reminded himself, wondering just what else may have changed in his absence.  

            Sure enough though, Ryoko was helping the young gourmet.  Ducking back around the corner, Tenchi silently watched as the pair continued on.  _At least it doesn't seem that Ryoko is cooking anything, _he thought recollecting some of the pirates past cooking fiascos.  _But then again, I have been gone for a year and other things may have changed as well._

"Would you check the soup?" Sasami asked as she chopped a bunch of leeks with blinding accuracy.

            "'Kay," was Ryoko's reply as she phased out of sight beside Sasami and instantly reappeared next to the stove.  "Hmm…" she pondered after tasting a small spoonful.  "Needs curry," she proclaimed.  

            "Just a little then," Sasami said looking up from the chopping block.  "A little goes along-­­ouch!"

            Tenchi bolted upright at seeing Sasami jerk back from the cutting board, holding her left hand.  A streamer of blood trailed the move.  

Before the knife could clang on the floor Ryoko disappeared from beside the stove and reappeared next to Sasami.  "How bad is it?" she asked, stooping down to Sasami's level, which Tenchi noted was not as small as it was a year ago.

"I'll be fine," Sasami sniffed.  Glistening trails of silver already streaked her face, seemingly weaving their way through her freckles.

"Lemme see," Ryoko ordered as Sasami gingerly produced the sliced appendage.  Ryoko winced at the sight of the deep cut, almost to the bone.  Tenchi was about to go get Washu when a small ball of light began to form at Ryoko's fingertip.  "Hold still," she ordered.  Sasami nodded with a sniff as Ryoko blew the marble-sized ball of light towards the wound.

Sasami inhaled sharply when the ball touched her finger and spread itself out to encompass the wound.  A second later the light was gone and the cut healed, not even leaving a scar.  "Oh wow," Sasami mouthed along with Tenchi.

"All fixed up," Ryoko announced as she wiped the last tears from Sasami's face.  "And remember what I told you about crying," she said with a hint of gruffness in her voice.

"Big pirates don't cry," Sasami recited, still marveling over healed wound. 

"That's right."

"But you cry…" Sasami added meekly.

Ryoko was taken aback by the young lady's astute observation.  "That's different," she weekly defended, turning her head so that Sasami would not see the tears already forming in her eyes.  Her tears and pain were her own, and the fact that Sasami knew of her grief only added the burden weighing on her heart.  "I…what I mean is…" Ryoko stammered as she choked her emotions down.

Tenchi felt like all the blood drained from his face and that his heart had just slammed into his slippers.  He had a feeling that he knew the reason would be crying.  And what hurt him more was that he knew he was that reason.

"I'm sorry," Sasami begged, throwing herself onto Ryoko in a hug that could only come from one of Misaki's daughters.  "Don't cry Ryoko, please don't…"

"It's okay," Ryoko lied, trying to get a little breathing room.  It amazed her how deceptively strong Sasami really was.  "It's okay."

"You sure?" the not-so little princess sniffed.

"Yeah," Ryoko said, cocking a lopsided grin that looked put on.  "Let's get this mess cleaned up and finished before your prissy sister comes down and makes a fuss."

"Okay," Sasami replied.

            For the longest Tenchi stayed covertly behind the corner, watching the pair finish breakfast.  He cursed himself for not going to Ryoko just then, but inside he knew she would have left in more tears, embarrassed that he had seen her show such emotion.  Tenchi also dwelt on how Ryoko had cared for Sasami.  He had never seen this side of Ryoko before, although his words to Toka from barely a fortnight ago echoed across his mind.

            _"She can be the most gentle soul on the planet…" _

Tenchi allowed himself a smile as he remembered that statement, glad that he had been proven so unequivocally right; but just as quickly though thoughts of the other occupants of his fathers house entered his mind.  _Am I even sure of what, much less whom I want, _he mentally chided himself.  _I can't break Ayeka's heart just to make myself happy…I just can't do that…but everyday I'm hurting her and Ryoko.  Gods, Toka was right…_

"Tenchi!" Ayeka squeaked as she rounded the stairs from the second floor, bringing Tenchi back from his deep thought.

            "Ayeka," he said with a sheepish grin, reaching a hand behind his head and beginning to scratch.  "I didn't hear you coming."

            "Oh," Ayeka responded.  "I wish you would have been feeling better last night," she continued sweetly.  "I had such a party planned."

            "I'm sorry," Tenchi offered with a short bow.  "I was just worn out."

            "That is what Father said last night," Ayeka continued, sliding her arm through Tenchi's and leading him to the table.  "But thanks to Little Washu," Ayeka began, motioning to the banquet table, "everything will be fine for tonight."

            "That's great," Tenchi said somewhat half-heartedly.  In the back of his mind he seemed to remember asking that they would not make a fuss over his coming home, but that had obviously went unheeded.

            "Tenchi!" Sasami squeaked, running out of the kitchen and hugging Tenchi as hard as she had hugged Ryoko earlier.  "I've missed you so much!"

            "We all have," Ayeka said sweetly, casting an annoyed glance towards Ryoko, who had just walked out of the kitchen with a server of miso soup.  

            Instantly Ryoko's heart sank upon seeing Tenchi standing there so casually with Ayeka's arm looped around his.  She could not blame Sasami for hugging Tenchi as so, considering she regarded him as her big brother.  But seeing Ayeka holding him so tenderly almost shattered her.

            :: Stay collected dearie, :: Washu told her daughter across their shared link.  ::Don't get worked up.  She practically jumped the poor boy.::

            ::Easy for you to say…:: Ryoko retorted, doing her best to stay collected.  "Good morning Tenchi," she finally spoke.

            "Ryoko," Tenchi all but gasped.  Ryoko nodded in return and sat down at the table without any further acknowledgement of Tenchi's existence.  Tenchi carefully extracted his arm from Ayeka's and gave Sasami's shoulder a squeeze.  She too had noticed Ryoko's reaction, and had quickly let go of her hug.

            "I see you're up early again," Ayeka almost snipped, but changed her tone after a glance from Tenchi.

            "Just helping," Ryoko answered.  She had already dipped her self a bowl of soup and a bowl of rice to compliment her fried eggs.

            "More than you did yesterday?" Ayeka egged on.

            "But she did help," Katsuhito said from the foyer.  "Ryoko worked for me until the evening."

            "And from what I saw she did a good job too, maybe better than you son!" Nobuyuki seconded with a laugh, following his father-in-law to the table.  "I see you slept well Tenchi."

            "It's nice to be back in my own bed," Tenchi said, cutting his eyes between his father and Ryoko.  _Why do I always screw things up? _he asked himself, still dwelling on earlier.  "The one in the apartment sleeps like a rock."

            "So it does," Katsuhito said.  He closed his eyes as he inhaled the steam off his cup of tea.  "I will need both of your assistance at the shrine today," he said calmly.

            "Both?" Tenchi asked, somewhat confused.

            "That would be me, I guess?" Ryoko answered.

            "Yes," Katsuhito replied as he pondered the bit of rice on the end of his chopstick, or that is at least what he appeared to be doing.

            "Okay," she said somewhat timidly, not sure what to make of the request from Katsuhito, nor from the looks she was receiving from Tenchi and Ayeka.  _I guess he's found his princess, _Ryoko moaned inwardly.  Suddenly not very hungry, she pushed her plate away.  "If I can be excused," she said rather dryly.  "I'll meet you at the Shrine."  With that Ryoko disappeared with the familiar chime of her teleportation.

            "Whatever got into her?" Ayeka sniffed.

            "I don't know," Tenchi lied, knowing full well what was the matter.  His only problem was that he was not sure how to rectify the situation.

            "Either way," Ayeka continued, "I hope she does not pose a hindrance to your duties today Lord Tenchi."

            _There's that title again,_ Tenchi whined to himself as Ayeka spoke her favorite honorific for him.  "I'm sure she won't," he assured. Then feeling uncertain, "Right Grandpa?"

            "One mans hindrance," Katsuhito replied very stoically, "is another's progress."

___

            "You want me to do what?" Ryoko asked in disbelief.  "You have to be shitting me!" she blurted, pacing the shrine office as Katsuhito sat at the low table.

            "I assure you that I am not," the old priest said with a soft laugh.  

            "Then why?" Ryoko asked, crossing her arms atop her bosom.

            "Because it is proper," the old master replied.

            "But that thing was hotter than hell," she quipped.  "And besides, I did it just to get a rise out of you old man."

            "It might be advantageous for you to wear it toady," he said, looking over the top of his glasses at the defiant pirate.  At least this time no swords were involved in their quarrel.

            "All that wool itches too," Ryoko whined once more.  "Besides," she added somewhat timidly, "I don't think _he'd_ like it very much."

            Katsuhito chuckled softly.  He knew whom the 'he' Ryoko referred to was, and the aged priest knew that it would get a reaction out of his grandson, but that is what he wanted.  He was sure that all his grandson needed was a little push in the right direction.  "Unless you want to be around Ayeka all day back at the house," Katsuhito said rather sternly, "you will respect the traditions of this shrine and its faith."

            "Fine, fine," Ryoko mumbled.  A second later her blue and gold striped dress shimmered then solidified into her attire from the previous day of the red hakama and white gi. "Happy?"

            "Now wait on Tenchi in the yard.  He will have your instructions.  Follow them to the letter."

            "Yes, yes," Ryoko griped before she phased through the shrine wall.

            Katsuhito chuckled once more and wiped his glasses lens with a handkerchief.  "I just hope I have done the right thing…" he said before returning to his ledger.

-

            "Must be nice to be able to fly up here," Tenchi grumbled as he neared the top of the winding stairway to the shrine.  "I don't know how Grandpa gets up here so fast," he huffed to himself as he realized that he had gotten slightly out of shape over the past school year.  "But Ryoko has it easy," he laughed.  

            _Ryoko…_  She had been his main focus as of late, and he was not sure exactly why or how that came to be.  All Tenchi Masaki new is that some kind of new feelings towards his buxom housemate had arisen these past few weeks.  He was sure now that they were not hormonally driven lusting, but something deeper.  His only problem was how to act on them without alienating the rest of his family, not to mention causing mass destruction and possibly the end of all life on earth.  _Maybe that's going a tad too far…_ he chided himself.  _Yes Ayeka would be hurt, but am I not hurting them more each day by not acting on my feelings?  Am I really as selfish as Toka thinks?  Gods…why does my life have to so damn complicated…_

The sight that greeted Tenchi as he crested the stairs stopped him dead in his tracks.  It was all he could do to keep his jaw from cratering the landing as he gawked on.  

            _Why is he just standing there?_ Ryoko asked herself as she watched Tenchi try to regain some measure of composure.  _I knew it!  He's mad…someone, help me, please…_ she whimpered to herself.

            _How in the hell?_ Tenchi thought as he tried to calm his breathing.  The sight of Ryoko in a red hakama identical to his dream was more than a shock.  In fact, he had nearly passed out from lack of blood to the brain.  _She can't read my dreams, can she?  Oh gods…what do I do now?  _

"Tenchi!" Katsuhito called from the porch to his office.  "You are to teach Ryoko your daily routine, then come and practice your swordsmanship.  You cannot become lax in the arts of war, lest you find yourself in want of them."

            "Yes Sensei," Tenchi said with a crisp bow.

            "So what now?" Ryoko asked timidly.  

            "W-w-w-well," Tenchi sputtered, trying not to recall the images of Ryoko from his dream yesterday, which were creeping into head.  "Usually I sweep the yard and scrub the walk," he said as calmly as possible.  "For starters," he added as an afterthought.

            "I'll sweep the yard if you will scrub the walk," Ryoko offered.  "I did enough scrubbing yesterday."

            "That's what I heard," Tenchi said with a little more surprise in his voice than he would have liked to.

            "Don't sound so astonished," Ryoko snorted.

            "Sorry," Tenchi atoned.  "Dad told me you holystoned the shrine floors in one evening," he began leading the way to the storage shed behind the office.  

            "And swept the stairs too," Ryoko added, proud of her accomplishments.  

            "That is impressive," Tenchi said with a smile.  "It's an all day affair for me to do either of those."

            "I can imagine," Ryoko laughed, feeling somewhat calmed, but not much.   For some reason, she felt as shy as a schoolgirl all of a sudden.    

            "Here ya go," Tenchi said, handing Ryoko a straw broom from the shed.  "Maybe we can get this done before lunch."

            "Maybe so," Ryoko said feeling a knot begin to form in her stomach.  _What's the matter with me?_

            "Lets get to it," Tenchi announced, sliding the shed door shut.

___  

            "Ayeka?  Would you carry that satchel up to Tenchi's room?" Nobuyuki asked as he plopped down on the couch to catch his breath.  He had just toted the last box of his sons' belongings up two flights of stairs and another trip would probably put him in the cardiac arrest unit in the hospital, or worse yet, Washu's lab.

            "Certainly father," Ayeka said politely.  "Where should I put it?"

            "His desk will be fine," Nobuyuki panted.  "Just watch the clasp, it's broken."

            "I will."  With that she began to ascend the stairway.  All the while Ayeka thought of how good it was to have Tenchi home, and how much she wanted him return her love.  _Maybe we can go to Jurai for Startica, _she thought, seeing it as a good place for Tenchi to declare his undying affections for her.  _There has to be a kernel of truth in that old legend._

"Oh my," Ayeka whispered as she opened the door to Tenchi's room.  In the scant half-day since his return, the once pristine room looked as if a typhoon had blown through.  The closet doors stood open and clothes were scattered hither-dither across the floor.   "Lord Tenchi," she laughed, as she set the satchel on the bed and began picking up his trousers from their hung on the back if the chair. "Such haste."

            With Tenchi's clothes gathered and put away, Ayeka turned her attention to his bed, which was unmade as well.  "Oh no," she whimpered as the satchel fell open when she leaned it against the footboard.  All the papers and sketchbooks cascaded out into a sizeable mess.  Ayeka cringed at the thought that possibly they had been in some important order and Tenchi would be upset over them, but that quickly passed.  She would just apologize for spilling them and that would be the end of the matter.

            Ayeka kneeled down and began to stack the papers when she noticed that some of them were drawings, and quite good ones at that.  Having gathered all drawings she opened the blinds and sat on the foot of the bed.  "These are good," she muttered to herself as she sorted through all the still art studies of various fruits and other objects.  One picture of a large bell tower had to be on the grounds of the university, whilst the other drawing was of a shattered building with an exposed steel dome on top.  The building looked as if the hand of the gods had crushed it in a horrible fury.  

            A blush crossed Ayeka's cheeks as she came to the section in the sketchbook containing a few nude figure studies.  Her first reaction was to thumb through them as fast as possible, but she saw how softly and tenderly Tenchi had recreated the forms.  _Maybe I can get him to sketch me, _she thought.  _ Fully clothed of course,_ she added instantly.

            Finished with one book, Ayeka placed it neatly back into the satchel and picked up the next.  The leather cover on the book looked worn, and bore the initials 'M. N.'  "This must have been fathers," she said quietly, thinking how sweet of Nobuyuki it was for him to have passed his sketchbook down to Tenchi.  

            The drawings in the old tome were less serious than the one in the previous book.  The first one was of Ryo-chan in her carrot apron.  Ayeka chuckled at the whimsical drawing.  "That is perfect," she laughed.

            The next few drawings where done in a manga style, she believed was called chibis.  Each page contained an incarnation of the family, tenderly drawn and painted in with subdued watercolor.  "How cute," Ayeka giggled as she came to one of Sasami with rather exaggerated pigtails and a large eared Ryo-ohki perched atop her head.  

            The next drawing took her breath away.  Ayeka marveled at herself recreated in chibi form. Dressed in a harlequin patterned, purple and gold kimono with a broad, navy obi, the chibi-Ayeka was posed looking back over her shoulder.  Her dark tresses flowed behind her in an imaginary breeze whilst her bangs fluttered over the ornate circlet that adorned her forehead.  A wistful look was placed on the chibi's face as it caught sight of what ever it was looking back at.   Barely noticeable, the chibi-Ayeka was holding a hand to her heart.

            "Oh my," Ayeka muttered, trying to contain the flush that had swept across her face.  She knew Tenchi had feelings for her, and this seemed to be concrete proof of those feelings.  _Maybe he will give this to me,_ Ayeka hoped.  _If he does I will have it framed and cherish it always._

            Reluctantly setting the drawing of herself back into the book, Ayeka glanced down at the next one and frowned.  "Figures…" she muttered seeing the drawing of a winking chibi-Ryoko in her blue and gold dress.  She should have known.  Tenchi would draw everyone in the family, no matter how distasteful they were.  Setting the aged book back in the satchel next to its predecessor, Ayeka began organizing all the loose drawings and sketches.  There were more still life's and figure studies, along with a pen sketch of a happy looking couple labeled 'Hisashi and Toka.'  _So these are his friends,_ Ayeka concluded, finally having a face for the names she had heard so often.

            The final article of the satchel was a medium sized canvas board in a white slipcover.  A note was gym-clipped to the slip. _'Mr. Masaki,'_ Ayeka read from the note, _'this is a most excellent piece of work.  Your shading and use of light is commendable, along with your choice of interesting subject model.  This is one of the better final projects a first year student has turned into me.  Congratulations.'_  The signature on the note read _'M. Kajishima,_' and had a large red '91' scrawled next to it.

            Her curiosity picked, Ayeka carefully slid the canvas from the cover.  Her hopes were that it contained a picture of her, but she knew equally well it could be some random model from the school.  What she saw caused her heart to sink and filled her with anger all at the same time.  Instead of her self or a nameless study model, Ayeka found her worst fear.  The horrible, vulgar image of a semi-nude Ryoko emerged from that slipcase.

            Her first instinct was to shred the image right then and there; find Ryoko and kill her; and then give Tenchi a piece of her mind.  _How dare that undignified whore do this, _she fumed.  _Moreover, how dare Tenchi look at her like this!_   Just as quickly as Ayeka's indignation rose, it flagged a little.  _But Ryoko has never visited Tenchi in Hiroshima…_Ayeka remembered. In fact, none of the girls had visited Tenchi at school.

            Then a horrible possibility dawned on her that she did not want to admit.  _What if Tenchi drew this of his own accord?  Did he do it from memory?  Ryoko has exposed herself to him on numerous occasions…Yes that is what it is.  He has not decided anything…he just drew something he has seen too many times before.  _All of this was more than Ayeka really wanted to handle at the moment.  The longer she stared at the tenderly drawn rendition the more her anger faded and her heartache built.  _All this means is that Tenchi drew Ryoko nude and nothing more,_ she finally concluded.  _I cannot allow my self to become all worked up over a trifle, _she added, slipping the canvas back into its cover and placing it in the satchel.  

            "I will not mention this," she promised herself as she pulled the door to behind her.  Even as she did so, the image on the canvass haunted her.

___

            "Washu!" Ryoko screamed as she flung open the door to the labs first dimension. "Washu! Where the hell are you!"  The noisy pirate cringed as a sizeable bang reverberated from the far corner of the lab, filling her ears with its loud report.  Seconds later a slightly singed and still smoking Washu emerged from the darkness.

            "Not so loud!" Washu said in a rather annoyed tone, a few huffs of smoke coming out of her mouth with each word.  Her face was covered in soot save a circle around each eye.  A pair of tiered goggles sat perched atop her main of red hair.  "You just ruined a delicate experiment."

            "Yeah sorry," Ryoko grumbled.

            "So what's bothering my little shrine maiden?" Washu sarcastically asked noting Ryoko's rather unusual attire.

            "Cut the crap," Ryoko snipped.  A second later the gi and hakama was replaced with her usual blue and gold dress.  "Its Tenchi."

            "What about him?" Washu asked as she brushed the soot from her clothes and with a humming gizmo that appeared out of thin air.  

            "He's driving me crazy!"  

            "So what else is new?"

            "Not like that!" Ryoko said curtly.  

            "Then how?"

            "Every time I was near him today," Ryoko began, finally calmed enough to take a seat on one of the floating cushions in the lab, "It took all my will power not to jump him and have my way with him right there at the shrine!  I just don't know…"

            "Lemme guess," Washu began as she punched at her computer console.  "Your heart rate would elevate, your senses would heighten, your blood pressure would skyrocket, and," Washu stopped reading her screen to laugh evilly to her self as she came to another bodily function on the chart.  "Lets just say you become attracted to him even more."

            "That's putting it mildly," Ryoko growled.  "So what's wrong with me?" she demanded.

            "Its simple," Washu said with a wicked chortle, "but let mommy show her little girl."

            "What the hell!" Ryoko cursed as a mechanical probe descended and grabbed her from behind.  "Lemme go now!" she hollered.

            "Just be still," Washu ordered.  "This will be painless."

            "Easy for you to say," Ryoko grumbled as she tussled with her captor.  "What are you wearing?" she asked of Washu, whose attire had changed almost instantly.

            "I'm an angel of mercy!" Washu cackled as she teetered from side to side in her white nurses uniform, replete down to the red cross on her cap.

            "You have to be kidding me…"

            "Now listen dearie," Washu said. "It's really simple."

            "How so?"  With a cackle Washu produced a chibi-Ryoko puppet on her left hand and a chibi-Tenchi puppet on her right one.  "You've lost it," Ryoko sighed.

            "Never had it to begin with dearie," Washu said dryly.  "Now," she began, making hugging motions with the Ryoko puppet.  "Little Ryoko here wants Tenchi."  Washu danced the Ryoko puppet towards the Tenchi one which she promptly glomped.  "But Tenchi doesn't know what he wants." Ryoko rolled her eyes as the Tenchi puppet pushed the chibi-Ryoko away and shrugged its shoulders.  "But it seems that Tenchi has grown up while he's been gone, maybe even sown a few wild oats of his own."  Washu made the little puppet stand proud before turning her attention back to puppet Ryoko.  "But thanks to the Universes Greatest Scientific Genius, my little Ryoko is not like little other little girls."

            "If you tell me that I'm a lesbian, I will kill you," Ryoko threatened, serious as she could be.

            "You'd be chasing Ayeka then" Washu said flatly, which produced a visible shiver from her captive daughter.  "What I mean, is that you have heightened senses." 

            "Tell me something I don't know."

            "Basically, Tenchi is attracted to you," Washu said, laying the hand puppets aside.

            "I doubt it," Ryoko snorted as the probe sat her down.

            "You where sensing his pheromones and hormones out there today," Washu elaborated in more detail.  "Therefore he is attracted to you, whether that block-head of his realizes it or not."

            Ryoko blinked a few times.  "Are you serious?" 

            "The only reason he would be broadcasting like that is if he was attracted to you my dear," Washu said.  "I promise you that.  Biology never lies."

            "What about at breakfast then?" Ryoko retorted.  "He didn't 'broadcast' then, hmm?"  _At least I didn't feel like he was…_

            "He was," Washu said, producing a graphic of Tenchi's hormone levels on her computer screen.  "It's just that he seemed more reserved for some reason.  Maybe he was trying not to let someone else know," Washu intoned.

            "I see," Ryoko said, seeing Tenchi's actions around Ayeka from the morning in a new light.  

            "Just take things slowly," Washu advised.  "I'm willing to bet the poor boy is more confused than a Terrelian wombat in heat right now.  They'll mate with anything you know."

            "I do now," Ryoko answered, having no need to know that tidbit about the reproductive habits of Terrelian wombats, what ever that was.  "So what now?"

            "Just be Ryoko, and see where things go," Washu said.

            "Thanks," Ryoko said, as she opened he closet door.  "Thanks mom."  

Washu smiled to herself and pulled off one of the long white gloves she was wearing.  "The joys of motherhood," she laughed, meaning it in earnest this time.     

___         

            _Why me?_ Tenchi thought.

For the past hour and a half he had listened to how wonderful it was to have him home.  Sasami had truly out done herself this time and everything had been kept perfect by Washu's stasis generator; a fact she made sure everyone knew.  Tenchi sighed to himself.  Ryoko was sitting to herself across the living room on the couch.  All he could do earlier in the day at the shrine was think about her, especially in that red hakama.  In truth, it was all he could do to stay busy and not make it too obvious that he was watching her.  Tenchi could have sworn a time or two when he looked up at Ryoko at the shrine she was sweeping the yard buck naked, but he was certain that it was just his over active imagination.  At least with his hakama over his gi it had made it difficult for her to see just how excited he was, or Ryoko may have stole away with him then and there.  

But alas, that did not happen.  When they had finished their chores, Grandfather had called Tenchi to sword practice and Ryoko promptly vanished.  Tenchi was so off balanced that afternoon he could barely keep up with Katsuhito and he was sure that he word have a few smart bruises to show for it in the morning.

   _At least the food's good,_ he thought as he helped himself to another steamed dumpling.  "Would you like one Ryoko?" Tenchi offered, wishing she would make eye contact with him.

            "No thanks," Ryoko returned, not even looking up to meet his glance.  To her Ayeka had been hogging all of Tenchi's time this evening, and he seemed to be enjoying the princess' company.  That and every time she had looked at him, he would not make eye contact.  _I know where I'm not wanted,_ she thought draining the last of her can of beer.

            "How about another beer?" Tenchi asked reaching for a can of Asahi.  _Why can't I just talk to her?  Dammit Masaki…_

            "That's something Ryoko never passes up," Ayeka laughed, a rosy glow etched across her cheeks.  Ryoko just 'hmmphed' and turned her back to the pair.

            "That was unkind," Tenchi said with a sigh, but went unheard.

            "Why aren't you drinking the ale I brought Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka inquired.   "It's from the royal breweries and I had mother ship it here just for you."  The large crystal bowl of crushed ice still contained the majority of the cobalt blue bottles, which had an emerald tree embellished on them, that Ayeka had so carefully arranged in it.

            "It's all right," Tenchi said resignedly.  "But I really like Asahi.  I can get it on campus in the vending machines."

            "Lemme try one of those," Ryoko said as she sauntered over to the table.  The pirate selected a bottle and examined it.  "By appointment of His Majesty the Emperor of Jurai," she read from the label.  "Can't be too bad." 

"May be Ryoko has some taste after all," the princess laughed.

"Watch it," Ryoko warned.  Ayeka cringed as Ryoko pulled the stopper out of the bottle in a quick jerk.  After sniffing the ales bouquet the pirate slugged back its entire contents.

            "Well?" Ayeka inquired.  Tenchi also watched Ryoko's reactions.  He knew she was a connoisseur of fine beers, and he hoped her opinion would be similar to his own.  _I wonder what she would think that beer Hisashi had, Sam Adams I think it was…_

"Ugh!" Ryoko made with a sour face.  "That tastes like tree bark.  No wonder Tenchi didn't like it!"

            "OOOO!  You!" Ayeka fumed.  "Do you know how much this stuff costs?!? You ungrateful little hussy!"

            "So sue me," Ryoko spat back, taking a chug of Asahi to rid her mouth of that foul taste. " If I want to chew on a tree I'll just go out to Funaho," she added with a laugh.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I would!"

"Be careful Ryoko," Katsuhito said as he sipped one of the Juraian ales before he too reached for an Asahi.  "Funaho bites back."

"That it does," Ryoko laughed.  Even Tenchi found the pun to be humorous.  Finally Ayeka succumbed to her brothers' good-natured jest, wondering if she had been set up for the joke.

"To family and good beer," Katsuhito toasted.

"Here, here!" Ryoko seconded, popping another can of Asahi.

"Indeed," Tenchi laughed. 

___

            The next few weeks were busy to say the least.  Tenchi had settled back into his old routine of fieldwork and shrine keeping, and Ryoko continued her early morning habits of helping Sasami.  She even continued to assist at the shrine.  Whatever her brother saw in having Ryoko help was beyond Ayeka.  She was sure Ryoko had to be more of a hindrance to Tenchi than help.   

            All the while Ayeka watched things very carefully.  There had been an instance or two where she caught Tenchi watching Ryoko a little too closely for her liking, but she tried not to read too much into the moments.  The memory of Ryoko's portrait still haunted her though.  Tenchi had never spoken a word about the satchel being opened or of anything being out of place, so hopefully he did not know she had seen it.  If Tenchi did know that someone had seen his pictures, he did not let on about it.

            Another issue that bothered Ayeka was Ryoko.  _Since when is that new?_ Ayeka kidded herself.  Ryoko always had an unnerving knack of finding someway to compound Ayeka's consternation.  But recently the pirate had not been her usual self as of late either.  No, Ryoko seemed too reserved.  Ayeka could count only one small tiff between them since Tenchi had come home, and it did not even concern Tenchi.  _Does she know something I do not?_ Ayeka thought as she placed a sandwich into a wicker picnic basket.  _Or does she think Tenchi has chosen me?  Has he?  But why would he tell Ryoko first?_

            Ayeka shook her head.  As wonderful as such thoughts were she had nothing to lend them credence.  Certainly Tenchi had been as kind as ever to her, even more so in certain instances since he had come home.  He had readily agreed to several walks home after his shrine duties were over, but his heart seemed to be elsewhere. Other instances stood out too.  Ayeka had noticed that Tenchi would cut his eyes towards Ryoko when he thought she was not paying attention.  He would act like a child whose hand was caught in the proverbial cookie jar when his father or grandfather would notice the same.  Even Mihoshi had noticed Tenchi daydreaming on a seemingly endless cloud.  The signs were subtle, but Ayeka was sure she had seen them.   _And what happened last night-almost happened, _she corrected herself, _was nearly proof enough…  _The amethyst haired princess sighed.  _As much as I want, the choice is not mine to make.  I can either accept Tenchi's decision-whomever it may be- or I can stand in its path and lose him forever, something I am not willing to do.  _  

            _Maybe I can find something out for certain today,_ she thought, setting the final items in the basket before tucking a red and white gingham cloth on top.  "If for anything," she said weakly, "for my peace of mind above all else…"

-

            _Why can't I just say it, _Tenchi scolded himself.  _I've been on eggshells around Ryoko ever since I came home …_  Tenchi sighed.  He was certain now where his feelings lie for the pirate.  What he thought was lust, had turned in fact to be its antonym.  He was certain that the pains he felt were love, and the longer he waited; the more he felt them.  It was almost unbearable.  How to act on them was his only real question now.

            _And what about last night?_ he asked himself.  _That was real dumb Masaki.  You may have ruined everything you know?  Really dumb…_

            "The old man never lets up," Ryoko whined as she floated into the foyer.

            "Now you see why I'm always so beat," Tenchi huffed as he slipped off his sandals.  "Sasami?  Ayeka?  Mihoshi?" he called out into the empty house, clicking the lights on.  "Where is everyone?" Tenchi asked as Ryoko floated over to a note taped to the television screen.

            "Gone to town with father," Ryoko read with a cringe.  She hated it when Ayeka called Nobuyuki 'father.'  "Mihoshi's left on assignment," she continued.  "Dinner is in the oven.  We'll be back late.  Don't wait up."

            "That's kind," Tenchi said as he examined the note.  "P.S." he continued where Ryoko had abruptly finished reading.  "If you touch Lord Tenchi I will kill you Ryoko."

            "I left that out on purpose," Ryoko whined.

            "She's kidding you know," Tenchi laughed as he peeked into the oven to see what had been left for them.

            "You'd protect me," Ryoko pleaded as she threw herself onto Tenchi's back.  "Wouldn't you Tenchi?"

            Tenchi swallowed hard as Ryoko wrapped her arms around his chest.  As much as he had been thinking about her lately, the feeling of her breasts pressed into his back was almost enough to make him soil the front of his shorts.  He swallowed again trying to wet his suddenly dry mouth as Ryoko slid hand into the fold of his gi and began to move lower and lower.

            "What is it?" she said all to seductively into his ear as Tenchi grabbed her by the wrist, a few scant inches from her target.

            _Why can't I just let her?_ Tenchi pleaded with himself.  "We'd better get cleaned up before we eat," he finally said. "And I don't think it'd be a good idea if I went with you to the Onsen either," Tenchi added, reading Ryoko's thoughts.

            "Party-pooper," she retorted as she floated away from him.  

            With a chime Ryoko was gone.  Tenchi shook his head and sighed as he set the oven to the reheat instructions Sasami left for them.  _Maybe I'll get Washu to stay with us tonight, _he thought at the possibility of being alone, at night with Ryoko.  _Son, you're on your own,_ crossed his mind for some funny reason at that moment, and Tenchi was not entirely sure that Washu had not sent him the message.  _Then again, I've wanted a moment alone with her; maybe I can get things together tonight…_

An hour and a half later, dinner was eaten and an unearthly silence permeated the house.  _Say something,_ Tenchi scolded himself as he and Ryoko sat quietly at the table and toyed with the scraps left on their plates.  _Just don't sit there like an idiot!_

_            Why can't I say anything?_ Ryoko scowled inwardly.  _It's only Tenchi…_

"Ryoko---  

            "Tenchi---   They began at the same time.

            "You first," they laughed together.

            "Okay," Ryoko said taking the initiative.  "How 'bout we watch a movie?"

            "Sounds good to me," Tenchi laughed.  "Whatcha wanna see?"

            "Hmm, I dunno," Ryoko said as she floated over to the entertainment center.  The right side of the cabinet was stocked with about every DVD imaginable.  "How 'bout a horror movie?"

            "Nah," Tenchi called from the kitchen.

            "Romance?" Ryoko said in a very seductive tone.

            "Maybe," Tenchi answered, the nervousness not hidden in his voice.

            "How about an action movie with a little romance where the villain gets his in the end?"

            "Sounds good," Tenchi said.  "I'm making some popcorn," he continued.  "Want some?"

            "I'll just eat yours," Ryoko said as she set up the television and speakers.

            "So what we watching?" Tenchi said as the first kernels began to pop.

            "Spiderman," Ryoko said, acting like she was shooting a web from her hand at some unseen villain.

            "That's a good one," Tenchi said.  "In English of Japanese?" he asked.

            "I'd prefer English," Ryoko said honestly.  "The Japanese translation's not that good and the words are all out of sync with everyone's lips."

            "That's fine," Tenchi said.

            "You sure?" 

            "Yeah," Tenchi said tapping the side of his head right below his earlobe.  "Washu's translator works well enough."

            "Oh, I forgot about that," Ryoko said quietly.

            "Besides I know enough English that I shouldn't get too lost," he laughed.

            "Wanna cuddle?" Ryoko said seductively as she tossed a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

            "Probably best we don't" Tenchi said as he sat the popcorn bowl between them on the couch.

            "Suit yourself," Ryoko replied, pulling her legs up under herself.

            Tenchi sighed as the first drums and trumpets flourished and the movie began.  _Would cuddling be so bad?_ he thought.  Shaking his head he turned his attention to the movie, trying not to let his eyes creep up Ryoko's exposed thigh into her skirt or down her cleavage into her blouse.  _Why does she have to be so beautiful…what does she see in a goof like me?  _Tenchi returned his gaze to the television as Ryoko reached for a handful of popcorn, allowing a quick peek into her blouse.  _Oh my…_

            Ryoko caught herself stealing a look at Tenchi as well from time to time.  Her Tenchi had grown up in the past year.  His face was more squared, his shoulders broader, and his spiky little rats-tail had grown into a manly queue.  _How many girls does he keep at school? _she thought, wondering if the young ladies flocked to him there like they had here.  _Oh my,_ Ryoko thought as her eyes traveled down to Tenchi's midsection before she quickly cut them back to the movie.  _Oh boy…_she panted to herself.

            As the evening progressed the popcorn was eaten and the bowl migrated to the coffee table in front of them.  Neither was sure whom had placed the bowl off the couch, they only knew it was gone.  Also unseeingly to each they had begun to drift closer and closer once the bowl was gone.  If either was doing this consciously, they could have fooled the other.  They only noticed this when their fingertips met.

            _Oh gods,_ Tenchi thought, realizing what had happened over the course of the movie.  _Please don't jump me,_ he begged himself.  

            _Oh no, _Ryoko begged inwardly.  _I didn't mean to do this…please don't push me away…_she cried to herself.

            The both of them sat their frozen like that for the longest, each begging that the other not move, all the while begging that the other would do something.  Not even the movie ending or the credits rolling shifted their deadlocked stare from in font of them.  Only when the DVD player ejected the disc did they realize how silly they were.  After a few minutes of this Tenchi broke the silence with a soft laugh to himself, which Ryoko quickly joined.  Soon both of them were laughing hardily at their own silliness.

            "I'm sorry," Tenchi laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

            "Don't be," Ryoko giggled.  "We both looked pretty silly just then."

            Tenchi only nodded and moved his hand on top of Ryoko's.  The pirate inhaled sharply at this sudden move.  Her heart was aflutter as his eyes shifted to hers.   "What are you doing?" she asked meekly, hoping and praying he was doing what she thought he was.  _He can't be doing what I think he is, is he?_

            Tenchi tried to answer, but found his throat and mouth suddenly dry.  _I am going to do this,_ he thought steeling his determination as he leaned in closer to Ryoko, hoping she would catch onto his blatant moves.  

            _He is!_ Ryoko thought as she began to lean forward.  All her hopes and dreams seemed to be coming to pass in a dizzying rush.  Eight hundred long years since that nameless tree granted her a vision of the future has she waited on this single, solitary moment.  And here it was.

            Tenchi's heart was racing as he breathed in the intoxicating air of Ryoko's perfume, spicy yet flowery all in the same mix.  His fingers had become interlaced with Ryoko's since he had placed his hand upon hers and he never intended to let it go again.  Taking Ryoko's cue Tenchi closed his eyes and flicked his tongue over his lips to give them some moisture.  He could practically taste that sweet, intoxicating bouquet that seemed to be rolling off Ryoko in tangible waves.  A shock of electricity seemed to jump between them as their lips brushed together.  

            Then the front door opened.   

            Tenchi and Ryoko both cringed as they heard Ayeka's voice first.  "—I only hope _she_ has left Tenchi alone-" they heard the princess say.  _"Tenchi!?!"_ Ayeka gasped, dropping her shopping bags.

            "Ayeka!" Tenchi squeaked, turning his attention from the crestfallen Ryoko the instant their lips touched.  Tenchi cursed himself as he heard the chime of her teleportation.  _Dammit…_

_            How do I keep making such a mess of things?_ Tenchi questioned himself as he leaned on his broom handle.  It was midday and he had yet to finish sweeping the yard.  _And where is Ryoko? _he thought, looking around the shrine yard. _  And why didn't she come to breakfast today?_

            "Tenchi?" Ayeka asked quietly from behind him.  Seeing him so distraught hurt her, even if Ryoko was the reason for his distress.

           "Oh," Tenchi said, snapping out of his trance.  

            "Are you ready?" Ayeka asked.

            It took Tenchi a moment to recall what Ayeka was talking about, but the picnic basket slung under her arm clued him in.  "Let me tell grandpa."

            "Okay."

            Tenchi bowed and clapped twice before rapping on his grandfathers' office door.  "Grandpa?" he asked a little hesitantly.

            "You may go," came the voice from within.

            "Yes Sensei," Tenchi said with a nod.  "Let's go," he said to Ayeka as he gathered his sketchbook from where he had stored it on the office portico.

            "I have a wonderful lunch packed," Ayeka said as they descended down the stone stairs from the shrine yard.  Neither of them knew of the pair of lonely golden eyes watching from the corner of one of the shrines windows.

            "They're gone," Ryoko said sadly.

            "He did not mean to hurt you last night," Katsuhito tried to comfort.  He had found Ryoko in tears lying against the rocks of her grotto the night before.  Since then the seemingly aged priest had been trying to calm his distraught ward.

            "But it did," Ryoko sniffed.  "He pushed me away as soon as he heard Ayeka."

            "I wouldn't worry too much," Katsuhito came back with.  Ryoko allowed herself a faint smile as he placed his hand on her shoulder.  "Have faith and your heart will not lead you astray my child.  Have faith."

            Ayeka attentively watched Tenchi as they shared their picnic.  The furthest their conversation had gone was how lovely the day was and how nice the sandwiches Ayeka had prepared were.  Every other attempt at conversation ended in thoughts that stopped midstream or were never articulated.   Ayeka felt like her insides were being pulled apart by the strained look on Tenchi's face.  He had not spoken about what she had nearly seen happen last night, and Ayeka chose not to mention the matter either.

            The princess sighed heavily as Tenchi sat across from her and idly sketched the mountainous valleys that lay before them.  Finally she garnered the willpower to speak.  "Would you draw me, Tenchi?"

            Tenchi looked up and blinked a time or two like Ayeka had spoken in an utterly alien tongue before her simple request sank in.  "Yeah," he answered.

            "Is here good?" Ayeka asked of where she was sitting on the gingham cloth.

            "I think that rock over there would be better," Tenchi said pointing to an old gray outcropping.  "The lights better."

            Ayeka nodded respectfully and moved over the rock while Tenchi gathered his charcoal and pastels and took up a space a few meters away from the seated princess.  "How do you want me to pose?" she asked Tenchi.

            "Kinda look off towards the mountains," Tenchi instructed, gesturing with his charcoal pencil.   "And hold your hands together." 

            "Like this?" Ayeka asked as she drew her knees together and clasp her hands in lap, striking a regal, yet serene pose.

            "Perfect," Tenchi said as she twisted his charcoal pencil in the sharpener.  "Hold still," he said as he started the drawing.

            Ayeka tried to remain as still as she could, a habit she had learned early in life from many hours of royal functions, where children were to be seen and not heard.  All the while she watched Tenchi.  The short jerking motions of his charcoal pencil fascinated her.  She knew that the seemingly random motions would yield the most wondrous of creations, as she had already seen of his rendering of Ryoko. 

            Quickly shaking off a small frown at that thought before Tenchi noticed it, Ayeka returned to her pose.  As she watched Tenchi lay the black charcoal down and pick up the first of the colored pastels she eased the tension in her back a little.  The boulder she was poised on was not as comfortable as a royal chair for maintaining such a pose over long periods.  Tenchi's drawing motions had become more calm and collected now.  Ayeka was sure that each move was bringing some aspect of her to life on the paper backdrop of the sketchbook.

            _I love you so much,_ she thought as Tenchi reached for another color.  _That is why this hurts me so much.  But I cannot lie to myself any longer.  I must be strong.  I must rely on the strength of my love for you, Tenchi, to guide me through these times.  I can see that I have lost the battle for your heart.  Perhaps there never was a battle to be lost.  I just cannot stand to see you in pain like this.  And strangely, I cannot bear to see Ryoko hurting either.  She has suffered enough in her life…_

"I'm almost finished if you want to move," Tenchi said, never looking up from his book.

            Ayeka swallowed hard and wiped the first traces of her tears on the sleeve of her kimono.  "Okay," she said softly, trying not to betray the emotion she had masked inside.  Slowly, daintily, Ayeka walked over to in front of Tenchi and kneeled.  Soft sobs started to rack her body as the pain of what she was going to say diffused through her.

            "Ayeka?" Tenchi asked as the first of her sobs to gain any volume broke his concentration.  "Are you all right?" he asked, laying the sketchbook flat in his lap.

            When Ayeka saw the picture on the page, all her barriers collapsed.  On that page she sat, lovingly, tenderly, recreated in charcoal and pastel.  Her periwinkle kimono flapped in an imaginary breeze that trailed her dark locks behind her and flicked the grasses and wild flowers at her feet.  Her hands were gently clasped in her lap and her tranquil visage mirrored the false façade she had put on for Tenchi.  "It's beautiful," she managed between sobs.  

            "What's wrong Ayeka?" Tenchi asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.  "Please, tell me?"

            "You are a blockhead," Ayeka managed with a halfhearted laugh that strangely felt good.  All Tenchi did was blink as he tried to decipher Ayeka's cryptic response.  "Go to her," she finally managed.  Each of those terrible words felt like hot irons searing into her stomach.  Before Tenchi could ask whom she was talking about Ayeka cut him off.  "You cannot be that dense," she chided.  "Go to Ryoko."

            Tenchi swallowed down the lump that formed at the top of his throat.  "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, his tears now starting.

            "I love you, that is why," Ayeka replied honestly, painfully.

            "Then why?" Tenchi said, not knowing exactly what he had said.

            "Because you are in pain," Ayeka stated, "and so is Ryoko, more so than me. I am strong Tenchi," Ayeka said taking his chin in her hand and bringing his eyes to hers.  "I will always love you," she said in one breath before she leaned in and kissed gently on the lips.  "Go," she ordered.

            Tenchi silently nodded and began to gather his charcoals and pastels.  Once they were back in their cases, he looked at the sketch, now dotted by his and Ayeka's tears.  "I ruined your picture," he offered solemnly, taking full blame for the tears on the paper.

            "Not ruined," Ayeka said softly.  "Never ruined."

            Tenchi nodded and turned to take his leave when he stopped and looked back.  "Ayeka," he began, his voice cracking, "thank you."

            "Your welcome, L-," she stopped for a second, "Tenchi."   Tenchi nodded and smiled weakly before he disappeared into the afternoon shadows of the forest.

___

            It was late in the evening when Ayeka ran into Ryoko on the shrine stairs.  Ryoko was descending from the shrine and Ayeka had finally managed to compose herself enough to face what she saw as inevitable now.  For the longest the two just stared at one another, not really sure what to do, or to say.  

            Ayeka held fear that Ryoko had come to gloat, but strangely her visage was similar to her own.  _She has his heart, _Ayeka thought, _so why is she so glum?  _

Ryoko had feared the same; that Ayeka would have the news she had been praying for when she emerged from that rendezvous in the woods.  _Little missy come to gloat, _Ryoko sulked, feeling her hurt form the night before amplified.  _Should have seen this coming for weeks now…_

            "Have you seen Tenchi?" Ayeka asked.

            "Not since he left with you," Ryoko said first.  "Why?"

            Ayeka bit her bottom lip as she tried to decide on the best way to tell her rival that she had conceded her loves heart to her.  _Has Tenchi not told her?  Surely he has, has he not?  _"He needed to speak with you," Ayeka finally answered.

            "What about?" Ryoko said suspiciously.  _I guess he wants to let me down personally, the little bastard…_she thought bitterly

            "Just find him," Ayeka said, trying to maintain some resemblance of composure.

            "Yeah, yeah," Ryoko said, her voice trembling.  _Bitch, _she thought, casting a vile glance back towards the sullen princess.  Ayeka just shook her head as Ryoko floated a ways down the shrine stairs before phasing out of sight.  

            Reappearing above, then in the house Ryoko felt like a ball of nickel-lead alloy was sitting on top of her stomach and spike of magnesium was burning in her heart.  Ayeka's instructions were just as cryptic as they were revealing.  Either she was setting Ryoko for a heartbreak, or…

            Ryoko shook her head at that thought.  _Surely she just wants Tenchi to let me down easily, that's all.  She didn't have the balls to do it herself, so he gets to do it.  Why not?  Might as well have him give the dagger he started last night a few good twists…_

"Say," Ryoko said appearing next to Sasami, "Have you seen Tenchi?"

            "Ryoko!" the young princess squeaked, nearly jumping out of her skin.  

            "Sorry kiddo," Ryoko atoned.  "Your sister said he was looking for me?  He in his room?"

            "Nope," Sasami answered.  "He looked around for you for awhile then left."

            "Where'd he go?" Ryoko asked.  _Where could he have gone?_

            "I don't know," Sasami sighed.  "He took the keys to father-Nobuyuki's car and went somewhere."

            "But the car's out back," Ryoko mumbled, having seen the small Mitsubishi parked in its normal place.

            "I'm sorry Ryoko," Sasami replied.  "I didn't see him come back."

            "It's not your fault," Ryoko sighed. 

            "Did you or sister yell at him?" Sasami asked softly as Ryoko floated towards the veranda overlooking the lake.  

            "Huh?"

            "He was pretty upset when he left," Sasami elaborated, to which Ryo-ohki miya'd a conformation.  

            "He, he was?" Ryoko stammered, the sum of her fears bubbling forth. _Oh no…_

To be continued…

Notes:

Whew!  This was a whirlwind of a chapter, and as you can see, I am being evil by making it a cliffhanger.  But fear not, class has let out for break and I've already started chapter five, called 'Paint the Sky' at the moment.  So I will see ya'll soon.

William Nichols

Credit where it is due:  Thanks goes out to Diane Long, Malena, Dark Jezter, Alighthawk, Smack54, BobR and some fellow called Ledzepfan who wrongly insists that Transformers is a superior series to G.I. Joe. Led, to paraphrase Shockwave from the Transformer Movie: Transformers inferior; G.I. Joe superior! Ya'll are the best.  Thanks for keeping me in line and putting up with me on the IM services.  Also big thanks goes to Di, the beer scene was her idea, and en even bigger thanks goes to her for helping me break the log jam on how to wrap this one up. Later everyone!__


	5. The Sunshine of Your Love

"Tenchi Muyô" and all characters herein are the property of Pioneer and AIC, save those created by the author.  This is a fanfic, and is done for fun, not profit.  All the warnings from the previous chapters apply to this one as well.****

Daydreams

By William Nichols****

**Chapter Five: The Sunshine of Your Love**

_"He was?" _

Ryoko froze, the weight on her stomach increasing tenfold.  _Why would he be upset that he couldn't find me? Unless… Don't set your self up for a fall you can't climb back from.  But that's just it, I've already fallen…I just wonder where rock bottom is?_

"Are you certain he was looking for me?" Ryoko asked Sasami again.

"Yeah," she answered, turning her attention from the anime she was watching.  "He asked me if I had seen you at all today.  I told him that I had not, and then…" she paused as a flash of light from the superhero on the television screen caught her attention.

"Then _what_?" Ryoko asked, perhaps a little more anxious sounding than she would have liked.

"He asked Washu where you were," Sasami continued, "but she didn't know where you were either."

"And he was upset?"

"Uh-huh."

"Mad upset or sad upset?" Ryoko probed.

"I dunno," Sasami answered noncommittally.   

"Sheesh…" Ryoko breathed under her breath.  "Thanks kiddo," she added.  "He's bound to be here somewhere."

            Sasami giggled to herself.  "Good luck," she said as Ryoko blinked from sight.  Sometimes being one in the same with a goddess has its advantages.  

            "Where could he be?" Ryoko asked no one in particular as she phased in and out of each room in the house.  _He's not at the shrine,_ she thought, _he's not in the house, so where the hell is he?_ Momentarily perching on her favorite rafter, Ryoko tried to imagine just where Tenchi could be.  "Oh yeah!" she chirped, remembering one last resource.

            :: Washu! :: she called out across her link.  :: Washu!  I know you're back there so answer me! ::

            :: Geeze… :: Washu whined back.  :: You sure are determined not to let mommy work on anything are you, my wittle Wee-woko? ::

            :: Knock it off! :: Ryoko snapped back.  :: Where's Tenchi? ::

            :: He's not in here, :: Washu said feigning confusion.  :: Did you check the ladies side of the onsen?   Perhaps Nobuyuki's hentai collection?::

            :: Come on! :: Ryoko begged.  :: Mother, :: she said truly, :: please!  I need to find him… ::

            Washu was struck by the desperation flooding across the link from her daughter.  This was not the typical 'Ryoko's looking for Tenchi' feeling she usually got.  There was a pained edge to these feelings.  Coupled with Tenchi's inquiries about Ryoko earlier, Washu immediately went on the defensive.  :: What has he done to you? :: Washu asked protectively.  :: If that little bastard has hurt you in any way…::

            :: Nothing like that!:: Ryoko sent back, '_Not yet at least…'_.  :: I just need to talk to him.::

            :: I see,:: Washu sighed.  She was relieved that she did not have to turn her favorite guinea pig into a water sprite or worse, endanger her chances of future grandchildren. :: He's out by Funaho.::

            :: Thanks mom,:: Ryoko sent back as she phased out of sight.

            :: Anytime,:: Washu answered.  :: Anytime.::

__

            Tenchi rested his back against Funaho as he finished another beer.  This had to be the worst day of his life.  Well, maybe not _the_ worst, but it definitely ranked amongst the top few.  "I've lost her…" he mumbled to himself as he tapped another can of Kirin.  "I've really lost her thish time…"

            Trying to be a man, Tenchi sucked back his tears with a bit of a choke.  If his dad could survive the death of his mother, he could manage this.  He had hesitated for the slightest moment when Ayeka had told him to go to Ryoko, but he quickly steeled his resolve to find her.  As he raced through the woods and down the steps his excitement grew.  He would finally be able to get this burden off of his chest.  He would finally do the right thing.  He would tell Ryoko he loved her without a shadow of a doubt and nothing would keep him from her.

            But she was gone.  Sasami had not seen her.  She was not reclining in the rafters.  She was not napping on the roof.  Nor was she lounging in the onsen.  In fact no one had seen her since the night before. And all of this was compounded when Washu couldn't tell him where Ryoko was earlier.  She always knew where her daughter was.  Always.  No, Ryoko was gone.  _His_ Ryoko was gone.  Tenchi chuckled softly.  _She'll never be my Ryoko now,_ he thought dejectedly.  _'I've lost her…She's really gone…'_

Tenchi sighed as he stared at the top of the can of Kirin.  Even his daydreams of Ryoko were gone.  Usually he could close his eyes and imagine her in a red silk robe posing on a divan would come to him, or the picture of her in the white gi and red hakama.  Those two stood out amongst countless other daydreams of her.  They were his comfort zones, a safe place where his mind could drift with the possibilities of the future.  They were times when he would love and be loved.  But now they were gone.

            Every time Ryoko would come to him, or him to her, just as always.  But then things would grow dark.  Just as Tenchi would reach for his love, she would dissolve into a shimmering cloud of dust, blown away from him by an unseen wind.  Just like his Ryoko.  Gone.  As the darkness would lift Tenchi would find himself alone, in old age either in his studio or at the shrine.  His dreams were gone.  Just like she was.  Forever.  And after last night, he couldn't blame her either.  Tenchi was sure that she was chasing her own fortunes across the stars with little or no thought about the simple priest in training back on that insignificant blue speck called earth by now.  

            Everything just seemed to fade to black for Tenchi.

            He could not go to Ayeka, not after what she had sacrificed to him today.  She had given him permission to love her rival the way she longed to be loved.   Surely Ayeka would more than likely welcome his affections; maybe even rejoice in them.  But it would be hollow.  The both of them would always be haunted by the fact that his true love had been lost.  The lingering shadows and specters would eventually turn into bitterness, then hatred.  Then not only would a love be lost, but a cherished friendship as well.  Toka's words haunted Tenchi at that thought:

            _"And a friend is better than not having one at all."   _

His indecisiveness had truly cost him dearly, just has his friend had forewarned.

__

            Ryoko materialized a good bit away from Funaho.  Even from the air, the waning evening light made it difficult to discern if Tenchi was there or not.  Only the faintest traces of his aftershave carried on the wind confirmed his presence to her, but it was heavily masked.  An instant later she reappeared a couple yards from Tenchi.  Ducking behind an aged oak tree, she spotted him sitting with his arms around his knees with his back  up against the old space tree.  He appeared to be glowering softly to himself, which came as a surprise to Ryoko.  Even more surprising was the sight of scattered beer cans at his feet. There were four by her count, and the fifth was clutched by the rim in one hand.  _'Kirin Ichiban,'_ she mused to herself after catching a waft off the gentle breeze that was blowing.

            _'Why would he be drinking?'_ Ryoko wondered as Tenchi's head rocked with another gentle sob.  _'He has his princess, so why is he so maudlin?'_ Ryoko scowled.  _'Typical!' _she huffed inwardly.  _'He's too chicken shit to tell me to my face either!  I guess no one is going to wear the pants in that relationship!  The nobles on Jurai will eat him alive in less than a year!'_  But watching Tenchi so depressed had the same affect on her.  Even if he did not return her feelings, she could not bear to see him like this.  It was almost more heartbreak than she could handle.

            _'Should I go to him?'_ Ryoko thought, her anger wavering.  _'I know what he's decided; the look on Ayeka's face said it all.  I just hate being looked down on like I'm a poor decrepit creature.' _ Ryoko sighed.  She could not let her anger get the better of her.  _'It's not Ayeka's fault.  She can't help it if Tenchi fell in love with her.  And I really shouldn't be mad at Tenchi either.  He has to do what his heart tells him.  I should have seen it years ago.  Maybe Ayeka was telling the truth years ago when she said the old man wanted them together…'_ Choking back her emotions, Ryoko swiped at the tears brimming her eyes with back of her hand.  _'I might as well get this over with so I can move on and let them be happy together…' _  

            Moving slowly away from her blind, Ryoko walked lightly.  With each soft crunch of grass and leaves, she felt like a piece of her was dying.  Each step another little bit faded, until she found her self a few scant paces from Tenchi.  He was still sobbing lightly and Ryoko could just barely make out what he was saying.  _'What did he say?' _she asked himself as Tenchi mumbled on to himself.  _'Who has he lost?  Did Ayeka reject him?  That has to be it!  Why else would she act that way and him be so upset?  Well, well, well…' _Ryoko started to cackle inwardly.  _'But I'm not going to be a consolation prize either,'_ she sternly thought to herself after the briefest imagines of her and Tenchi danced across her mind.  _'No.'_

Finally after seemed like an eternity, Tenchi looked up.  At first he shifted his gaze back to the ground as if Ryoko had been some ethereal specter.  The second time his snapped back as the image registered on his intoxicated state of mind.  A shiver raced up his body as his eyes went wide as the silvery moon beginning to ascend above them.  Tenchi sat there, trembling and staring, wondering if this was real or just an alcohol induced hallucination.  "Ry-Ry-oko?" he finally stammered out.  

            "It's me," Ryoko answered, faking a small laugh and grin.

            "Ish thought you werez gone," Tenchi slurred as he wobbly made it to his feet.  "Iz gots it," he slurred again as Ryoko moved to steady him.

            Ryoko couldn't help but stymie a giggle at the sight of an inebriated Tenchi.  _'I might as well have one more good laugh before I go…'_

"I thought I losht you…" Tenchi said as fresh tears streaked his face.

            _'Lost ME?'_ Ryoko thought, blinking a few times in confusion.  _'What the hell is rambling about?'_

"Gods Ry'ko," he stuttered, "don't do that to me."

            Ryoko's blood ran cold at being called that name.  He had not called her that in a long number of years._  'Oh gods…'_ she trembled inwardly.  Those memories were so cherished, and to have him pervert them so felt like he was twisting a dagger into her heart.  Every memory of a young Tenchi playing with ran though her mind.  Chasing dragonflies; playing hide and seek; and dancing high in the sky for a cheering youth whom she had come to love, whom she knew she would love- all of it returned to her.  To have him call her his childhood name for her now, in this state of mind, was heart wrenching._  'I love you Ry'ko,'_ her mind teased from days long gone by.  _'I love you…'_   "Don't call me that," she warned sternly.

            "What?" Tenchi asked.  Ryoko could smell the alcohol on his breath and being exuded from his pores.  "I just said your name 'Ry'ko'," he said unawares of his _faux pass._

            "Please don't," Ryoko begged.  The memory of a six-year-old Tenchi trying to hug her phantasmagoric form, begging her not to cry came to her suddenly.  _'I'll always love you Ry'ko,'_ her mind played in a tiny version of Tenchi's voice from almost a decade ago.  That was the last time he had he told her he loved her.  And she knew it would always be the last time Tenchi said he loved her.  _'So don't be sad Ry'ko…'_  "Please don't…" she whimpered. 

            "Ry'ko," Tenchi pleaded again.  "Wash the matter Ry'ko?" Ryoko's silent tears troubled Tenchi as he shakily strode forward.   The waves of grief rolling off her were nearly palpable. They were tugging at his heart, begging him to make them go away.

            Ryoko felt like her heart was being shattered by the one she loved the most as Tenchi waddled closer.  _'Don't cry…'_ her mind teased in his young voice again.  "Stay away," she cried as he stopped inches from her. "Just stay away…"

            "But Ry'ko," he began, "I…I…"

            "You _what_?" she said tersely.  _Love Ayeka?_ Ryoko added mentally.  _'See me as a horrid monster incapable of human feelings only to be taken pity on?  Do you?!' _she accused silently.

            Tenchi stilled his quavering jaw for a second before he stepped forward and kissed her.  Instantly Ryoko froze as Tenchi's lips met hers.  At first her sorrow was replaced with joy.  Tenchi was kissing her; really kissing her.  But as her tension eased Tenchi began to slip his tongue into her mouth.  It was the taste of beer on him that shocked Ryoko back to reality,  _'He's only doing this because he's drunk!' _raced across her mind.

            "Ry'ko?" Tenchi asked as Ryoko abruptly broke the kiss and stepped back.

            "Stay away," she sobbed anew, her hand covering her mouth.  "Please…"

            "But Ry'ko," Tenchi began only to feel the sting of Ryoko's hand on his cheek.  It hurt.  A lot.

            "I said stay away!" she screamed, phasing out of sight in the process.

            Sobered, Tenchi held a hand to the stinging imprint on the side of his face.  "I love you…" he whimpered to the night air.  "I love you…"

___

            Ryoko collapsed onto the sofa seconds after she rematerialized in the house.  The summation of all her angst and heartbreak billowed forth in body shaking sobs as she openly mourned the loss of her love.  All of her millennia old insecurities and ingrained fears took control as her grief came out in great heaves.  _'He did that out of drunken pity!'_ she bemoaned.  Atop of this, were echoes of Kagato endless abuses. _'He was right.  No one can love a monster like me.  Not even the man I love…the man I loved…'_

"Ryoko?" Ayeka asked timidly as she slid back the door from the veranda.  She had been contemplating her actions from earlier for the past few hours when the sounds of Ryoko's weeping brought her back to this plain of existence.  _'My word, what could have upset so?'  _The sobbed name of their object of affection answered the princess' question.   _'Oh no…what did Tenchi say to her?'_

"Stay away," Ryoko sobbed, too exhausted emotionally to flee any further.  "Please…" she begged.  "Just leave me alone…"

            _'Why is she upset so?  Tenchi loves her the way she has longed for…unless…'_ Ayeka pondered.  _'How could that blockhead foul things up this badly?'_  "What happened?" Ayeka begged, sitting down next to Ryoko.  "Whether we like to admit it or not," the princess continued, "we are friends Ryoko.  So please, tell me what happened?"

            Ryoko sniffed loudly and looked up to Ayeka with watery golden eyes. _'She still considers me her friend?'_ she thought.  _'Even after all this…' _Calming her nerves as well as she could, Ryoko began to recount what had transpired since the night before.  She had left, heartbroken that Tenchi jilted her so quickly when Ayeka had walked in on their near kiss.  Katsuhito had found her crying at the grotto and took her in for the night, doing his best to calm her nerves and reassure her that things would work for the best.  Finally by this evening the old man had convinced her to seek Tenchi out, give him a chance to explain himself.  That is when she ran into Ayeka on the shrine steps.  Ryoko told Ayeka how she was certain that Tenchi had chosen her.  The events from that point flowed quickly.  "I found him by Funaho," Ryoko continued after wiping the tears from her eyes.  Ayeka felt her eyes water as Ryoko painfully related what happened up to the point where Tenchi kissed her.

            "Then what happened?" Ayeka prodded as Ryoko drifted back into the bogs of despair.

"I…I slapped him," she said weakly.  "The I came back here, and you found me not long after that…"

Ayeka allowed silent tears to streak her face.  _'Had I only told Ryoko then…'_ she lamented.  _'And that fool had to go and get drunk of all times…I have to help make this right.'_

"I don't know what to do…" Ryoko sniffed.

Ayeka inhaled deeply and steeled her resolve to set things right.  "I am afraid that part of the blame is mine," she confessed.

"Huh?"

"I told Tenchi to go to you," Ayeka elaborated.  "He was hurting so badly and I could see that you were too…" Ayeka wiped a tear as her voice choked.

"What are you saying Ayeka?" Ryoko deadpanned.  The last thing she wanted was to be patronized, especially by Ayeka.

Ayeka sighed.  _'She can be denser than Tenchi at times.'_   "Why do you think I sent Tenchi to you?" she asked in a tone that was a little too condescending.

"Gee…I dunno?  Why?" Ryoko automatically retorted, her old defense mechanisms popping back in place.  "I'm just a stupid demon, remember?"

Hearing her own words thrown back at her, Ayeka cringed.  Now she saw how much her words had hurt Ryoko.  _'I have done her and myself a great disservice all these years,'_ Ayeka reflected.  _'In my jealousy I disregarded her feelings…Tsunami help me.  I am as worse a monster than I ever accused her of being.'_  "I'm sorry," Ayeka atoned.

"It's true," Ryoko sniffed.  "I am just a stupid demon.  You said it.  Kagato said it…Tenchi said it…"

"Tenchi has most certainly never said that," Ayeka said sternly, holding Ryoko by the shoulders.  "That damnable miscreant Kagato said many things which are not true, and that is one of them."

Ryoko managed a faint chuckle.  "You must be serious to use profanity."

Ayeka smirked at Ryoko's astute observation. "You never asked why I sent Tenchi to you," she said, returning to her previous train of thought.

"_Why_?" Ryoko asked, fresh tears brimming her eyes.

"He loves…" Ayeka whimpered, her voice choking, "…you…"

Ryoko sat silently as Ayeka momentarily broke down in front of her.  _'He loves me?' _she thought incredulously as Ayeka shed silent tears. _ 'He…loves…me?' _  More tears left their silver trails on her face as Ayeka's words replayed across her mind.  "He loves…" she asked softly, "me?"

Ayeka nodded in conformation. It was all she could manage.  A shiver worked its way up Ayeka's spine as Ryoko moved up onto the sofa proper and wrapped her arms around her.  "Forgive him," Ayeka croaked.  "He didn't mean to hurt you…he needs you and you him right now."

Ryoko nodded as she rose from the couch and headed for the foyer.  "Thank you," she said softly. 

Ayeka smiled and nodded as Ryoko phased from site, leaving her alone in the living room.   Strangely, when Ryoko left the waves of despair she expected to wash over her did not come.  Instead Ayeka found a sort of solace in the newfound stillness of the house.  A small voice deep inside comforted her, telling her that she had done the right thing not once, but twice this day.  It also told her that her reward would come, and she would never be alone as long as she still had friends.

_'The best of friends,'_ she thought with a soft smile.  _'My family, my dear, dear family…whom I love.'_

___

            Ryoko reappeared at the foot of the shrine steps.  After her ordeal this day, that was as far as she could manage in one hop.  Concentrating, she blinked out of sight and reappeared a third of the way up the meandering tread.  Two more quick hops and Ryoko was leaning against on the uprights framing the torii's curved lintel.  "I'm outta shape…" she panted, with a wry smile.   

            "About time you made it up here missy," Washu cackled, her paper lantern casting a golden tinge onto Ryoko's alabaster skin.

            "Indeed," Katsuhito seconded, carrying a lantern himself.  

            "Where's Tenchi?" Ryoko huffed, still trying to catch her wind.

            "He's fine," Katsuhito said, placing a comforting hand on Ryoko's shoulder.

            "But he's gonna have one helluva headache in the morning," Washu said with a chuckle.  "And I mean a helluva one."

            "He didn't have that much to drink," Ryoko said tersely, shaking Katsuhito's hand from her shoulder.  _'And I didn't him that hard either, did I?'_

"We need to talk," Katsuhito spoke softly, ushering Ryoko towards his office.

            "But I need to see Tenchi!" Ryoko protested, but could not pull free of the deceptively old priest's grip.  "Le' go!"

            "I'd listen if I were you missy," Washu said taking her daughters other arm.     

            Ryoko started to look down at her mother, but quickly jerked her head up at the fully-grown Washu.  "What is this all about?" she asked, unable to hide the fear in her voice.  "What's wrong?  Where's Tenchi?" she panicked.

            "Nothing a few hours sleep wouldn't fix," Washu elaborated.  "So calm down dearie."

            "What's the matter?" Ryoko asked again, nearly hyperventilating by now.

            Katsuhito chuckled softly at Ryoko's genuine concern.  "Just calm down and we will explain everything…"

___  

            Tenchi rubbed his temples as he sat on the gray outcropping in front of Ryoko's grotto.  His head was throbbing and the sharp sting where he had been slapped on his right cheek had faded to a dull ache.  Everything that had happened in the past several hours seemed like the events of a lifetime, several lifetimes in fact.  Ever since his grandfather had deposited him there, all he could do is wonder why; why all of this had happened the way it did.

            _'How could have I been so foolish,' _he pondered.  _'I was hurting her so badly…gods…how could I have been so cruel…but I did not know…'_ Supplanting that thought was a line of anger.  His anger came over finding that a part of his childhood had been taken from his memory.  Taken by a damnable planet adorned with a crown of lies he never knew existed until four years ago.  It was taken because he was too close to the thing they feared the most.  Hated the most.  The thing he had come to love the most.

            Tenchi thought his life was forfeit when she emerged from a dimensional tunnel, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him along.An instant later he landed rather unceremonially in his grandfathers office.

_'This will hurt like hell,' _Washu had said, connecting an arachnid looking helm to his head.  _'And your liable to have the worlds worst hangover in the morning, but you have to know this.' _ 

_'I concur,'_ his grandfather seconded, placing his hand on the helm.  _'I only wish I had not let them do it in the first place, but so is the error of the past.  Please do not hold this against me or my mother Tenchi, she only did what she thought best at the time.'_

Hurt like hell was an understatement as Katsuhito and Washu unlocked his hidden memories with a combination of some form of arcane technology that she had drudged up and his latent Jurai power.  But when it was over he saw a past he never knew existed except for fragmented feelings of deja vu.

            Tears streaked Tenchi's face as yet another new memory was relived of him spending time with his very real imaginary friend, _'Ry'ko.'_  She was crying, very much like tonight, and his tiny arms were trying to comfort her ethereal form.  "Except she's not here right now…" he mumbled.

            Washu had assured him that Ryoko was not going to run off and become a geisha or anything like that, but still she was not here.  He so desperately wanted her to be there.  _'She will come…'_ Katsuhito had told him as he vanished back in to the forest path.  

            So Tenchi sat there, waiting, reliving.  Reliving his childhood in wonderful, vivid, heartbreaking detail.  It was wonderful because a vagary that had always puzzled him was now filled in its entirety.  Everything was experienced in such vivid detail, each distinct sound, word, thought, presence was there as if it happened just then.  It was heartbreaking because he knew his feelings for Ryoko ran deeper than those recently discovered; heartbreaking because those feelings about her had been taken from him without his consent; heartbreaking, because he had broken her heart.

            "How ya feeling?" a soft voice asked, snapping Tenchi back from his remembrance.

            "Ryoko," he croaked, his heart catching in his throat.  

            "Steady," she said softy, balancing him as he tried to stand.  "I think you'd be better off sitting right now."

            "Good idea," Tenchi groaned.  "I'm so sorry," he atoned, his memories form years gone by intertwining with his hurt filled words of earlier.   "I didn't know…" he wept.

            "It's ok," Ryoko comforted, holding her own tears back.  "Wash- mom and the old man explained everything to me," she sniffed.  "I need to apologize as well."

            "No you don't," Tenchi lamented.

            "At least let me help," she offered, holding a glowing finger the bluing bruise on his cheek.  A cold spark leapt to the contusion, eliciting a sharp breath from Tenchi.

            "Thank you," he breathed, feeling the warm spot on his cheek where the bruise had been.  _'Say it Tenchi!  Not everyone gets a second chance like this!'_

            "Ryoko-"

            "Tenchi-" The two of them laughed slightly as they recognized that this was the second time this had happened in as many days. 

            "I love you," Tenchi breathed, taking the opportunity as it presented himself.

            Silent tears of joy streaked Ryoko's face as her heart sang.  "I know," she whispered, wiping her tears.  "Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that?"

            "Too long," Tenchi said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.  "I'm so sorry Ryoko…I would never hurt you…"

            "Tenchi?" she whispered.  

            "Yeah?"

            "Call me 'Ry'ko' again, please?"

            Tenchi hesitated momentarily, remembering the pain he had caused her earlier in the night, before he recalled the last time he held her on this spot.  "I love you Ry'ko," he said softly, just as he did all those years ago.  "I love you."

            "I love you too, my Tenchi," she said happily.

            Tenchi smirked to himself as he shifted around to look her in the eyes.  "I love you," he repeated, lacing his fingers through hers.  "My Ryoko…my Ry'ko."  Countless tears of joys streaked both their faces as Tenchi leaned in touched his lips to hers.  The touch was feather soft at first, neither wanting to spoil the moment.  Inhaling softly, Ryoko parted her lips allowing Tenchi to take the lead if he wanted.  Tenchi slipped his tongue across her lips at the invite, and traced the front of her fangs before she opened her mouth fully to him.  Eternity stood still at that moment.  Two hearts, long since separated, finally beat as one.  

 ____

            Tenchi bowed and clapped three times out of habit before he knocked on the door to first dimension of Washu's laboratory.  Each time he entered the lab he could not shake the feeling of dread and despair that seemed to wash over him.  Satisfied that that gods would protect him, Tenchi pushed the door open at Washu's beckoning.

            This upper dimension of the lab resembled a lively arboretum, its serenity belying the horror of the deeper sections, especially when Washu needed a sample or other analysis from one of her 'guinea pigs'.  "What can I do for ya?" Washu asked, never glancing up from her holographic computer.  "Come to give me a sample my wittle guinea piggie?"  Tenchi immediately swallowed hard and took a step backwards before Washu let out a maniacal cackle.  "I'm just teasing you," she admitted.

            "Okay," Tenchi sighed, not entirely sure if he should trust her or not.  _'No reason not to…' _he reasoned.Clearing his throat, Tenchi stepped forward.  "Can I ask you something Little Washu?"

            "Fire away," Washu said, cocking an interested eyebrow.

            "About the other night," Tenchi began, pacing the floor.  "How…what I mean is…when you…"

            "How did I know about your memories of Ryoko?" Washu interjected, swinging her legs around on her floating cushion so that she was facing Tenchi.  _'I see what my daughter loves about him,'_ she thought, studying his features.   _'My little guinea pig isn't so little any more,'_ she laughed to herself.

            "Um yeah," Tenchi said sheepishly.  "I thought I was a goner when you stepped out of that tunnel next to me the other night."

            "And for making my little Ryoko cry you should have been!" Washu chastised sternly.  "Lucky for you I was paying more attention than that?"

            "More attention?" Tenchi asked, wondering just what other invasions of privacy took place in and around his home now.

            "I was watching the whole sha-bang," Washu said, absently punching a few keys on her keyboard.  A window blinked into view and a freeze frame of Tenchi holding the side of his face from the night before filled the screen. "Much better than my soaps," she kidded to a rosy blush from her daughter's suitor.  "I was getting pretty riled up at you," she continued, "anyone who breaks my little Ryoko cry like that usually wakes up in another dimension, if they wake up at all."

            "So what spared me?" Tenchi croaked, realizing how close he was becoming an inter-dimensional traveler.

            "This," Washu stated.  Two graphs appeared on the screen, each showing a series of wavelengths.  "When you called Ryoko that cute pet name of yours, certain memory engrams would spike," she said pointing at jumps in the graph.  "Lucky for you my equipment was monitoring your engrams as well. I saw you possessed the same engrams that were flaring in Ryoko.  The kicker was that something was preventing them from spiking like hers."

            "Uh-huh," Tenchi said, scratching the back of his head.  "My memories were starting to peek through then?"

            "Probably in the form of dreams or deja vu," Washu stated.  "I knew that you would never intentionally hurt Ryoko," she continued, "and it did strike me as odd that a simple contraction of her name would set her off so, unless it held some significance."

            "It does," Tenchi said with a dreamy smile. 

            "Enough of that lover boy," Washu said with a sardonic smirk.  "You can save all the kissie face stuff for my little 'Ry'ko'!"

            "Eh…um…hehe," Tenchi fidgeted, trying to keep his blush under check.

            "Tenchi," Washu said, her playfully demeanor suddenly serious.  

            "Yes Little Washu?"

            "I know I'm not the most gracious person in the house, but thank you."

            Tenchi blinked a time or two.  "Whatever for?"

            "For making my daughter happier than she's ever been."

            "She deserves more than I can give her," Tenchi said honestly. "Much more."

            "But you have given her so much," Washu said, fighting the tears forming in her eyes.  "You believed in her when others didn't.  You accepted her when others still saw 'Space Pirate Ryoko'.  You saw the real person beneath all the gruff and put-ons.  You…"

            Tenchi stepped forward and drew Washu into a hug as she tried to stymie her tears.  "It's okay," Tenchi said.  "I know the real Ryoko.  I fell in love with her a long time ago, and didn't realize it till now."

            "Always the sentimentalist," Washu chuckled.

            "I guess so," Tenchi laughed.  "Thank you for giving me my childhood back," h said as he turned to leave.

            "Oh Tennnnnchi," Washu said coyly.

            "Yes Little Wa…" Tenchi began to answer before he found himself eye level with an adult Washu's cleavage.  "…shu…"

            "Such a naughty boy," Washu teased, wrapping her arms around Tenchi in another hug, pressing his face further into her bosom.  "Such a naughty boy!"

            "Washu please!" Tenchi begged, although somewhat muffled.

            "All right," Washu laughed.  "I shouldn't do that to you now seeing as you're spoken for."

            "Thank you," Tenchi said with a pant, making tracks towards the door.  

            "He's still Tenchi," Washu laughed as the lab door slammed with a resounding thud.

"Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka asked as Tenchi slid down the broom closet door to the floor.  "Are you all right?" All the flabbergasted prince could do was nod.  "I take it Washu was up to her old tricks?"  One more nod.  "You would think someone of her age would grow up a little."

            "She did," Tenchi panted.  

            "I see," Ayeka giggled.  _'Or more like what Tenchi saw, and knowing Washu, no telling how much!'  _Ayeka smirked as she rounded the corner of the couch to help Tenchi to his feet.  _'At least Ryoko comes by her immodesty naturally.'_

"And you wonder why I hate that place," Tenchi huffed as Ayeka helped him to his feet.  "I'll have nightmares about that for a week now."

            Ayeka tittered.  "So what are your plans for the evening Lord Tenchi?" she asked.

            "I don't know," he answered.  "Probably just sit around here and watch TV."

            Ayeka frowned.  "Why do you not take Ryoko out for dinner?"

            "What about the rest of you?" Tenchi asked.

            _'He's still the same Tenchi…'_ Ayeka sighed inwardly.   "We will manage without you some how," she said sarcastically.  "Ryoko would enjoy it, and the two of you need to go out together."

            "Okay," Tenchi laughed.  "I get the point."

            "So where are we going?" Ryoko asked as she clicked her seatbelt in place and adjusted the seatback of the little green Mazda.  

            "I know of this restaurant in Kurashiki," Tenchi said as he backed out of the small carport shed and pulled around to the drive.  "The food is good, and they serve a little bit of everything."

            "Mind if I play with the radio?" she asked, reaching for the dial.

            "Go ahead," Tenchi said.  Ryoko settled a pop station and wriggled her bottom in the seat cushion, making herself comfortable for the hour or so long ride.  Tenchi would catch himself glancing up to the review mirror to steal glances of her in the passengers seat.  She had on a cream-colored blouse and slate gray slacks.  _'She is so beautiful,'_ he thought as Ryoko reached up and adjusted the sun visor to her liking.  Tenchi smiled as Ryoko watched the countryside pass by.  She seemed so calm and relaxed.  '_So serene,'_ he thought as his mind began to wander.  The whine of rubber on the low shoulder brought him back to reality quickly though.  Tenchi bolted up straight as he quickly jerked the front tire back onto the pavement.    

            "It's okay," Ryoko soothed, as Tenchi remained rigid against the seatback.  "Breathe big boy," she playfully teased.

            "I'm so sorry," Tenchi atoned, his knuckles white as he locked his grip in on the wheel.  "I am so sorry Ryoko…I didn't mean to…I'm sorry…"

            "I said it's all right," she said softly, placing a hand on his leg and giving it a squeeze.  Ryoko's ears twitched as she picked up the speedy thump of his heart racing.  _'How can I calm him?'_ she reflected.  "You okay?"

            "Yeah," Tenchi breathed, not too convincingly.

            "We're fine," Ryoko said, giving his leg a squeeze again.

            Tenchi blushed at the near intimate contact from the buxom woman sitting across from him.  Calming his breathing, he tried to keep his eyes on the road, and the car.  But the thought of Ryoko with her hand on his leg kept sneaking into his mind.  He was too tense to glance over at her, to see if she had noticed the flush of his cheeks or not.  _'If she keeps this up she will notice something else…'_ he worried.

            _'At least he's calmed down,'_ Ryoko thought as the sun began to dip behind the mountains.  _'He is so adorable when he's like that at times, but he doesn't know when to stop.  He has to learn to relax more…'_ Her thoughts abruptly stopped as fingertips brushed up against a burgeoning bulge in Tenchi's trousers.  Tenchi's sharp inhale echoed in her ears along with the increase in his heart rate again.  Casting a sideways glance at the rearview mirror, Ryoko saw the deep hue of crimson his face was turning.  As much as she wanted to explore further, Ryoko slid her hand back up to his knee and gave it a firm squeeze.  

            "Sorry," she said softly.

            "It's okay," Tenchi said in one breath.  "I just have to get used to things like that."

            "So what movie do you want to see?" Ryoko asked, changing the subject and trying to keep the conversation from dying down again.  They still had a good half hour to go by her count, and she did not want things to be too quite.

            "Good question," Tenchi said, sneaking a glance in the mirror once again.  For once Ryoko had dressed somewhat conservatively, which only made him want what he could not see even more.  _'Maybe that's for the best right now,'_ he concluded, remembering what happened last time he studied her too closely.  "I know there's few new anime's and martial art flick's out."

            "Maybe the anime," Ryoko answered.  "I've seen too many Kung-fu movies here lately.  Mihoshi made us sit through a week long marathon while you were at school."

            "I think I saw most of that one too," Tenchi laughed.  "We all crashed at Hisashi and Toka's place since they have a bigger TV and better cable than we have in the dorms."

            "I'd like to meet those two one day," Ryoko laughed.  "They sound like a matched pair."

            "They are," Tenchi chuckled, thinking of some of their antics.  _'I hope we have a relationship as good as theirs.'_  Tenchi smiled as Ryoko squeezed his knee again.  _'No, I hope we have a one better than theirs…'_

            "So what should we see?" Tenchi asked as he and Ryoko stared up at the neon marquee.  Dinner had gone well, and the walk from the restaurant had been pleasant in the warm night air.

            "'Lord of the Rings' looks good to me," Ryoko said as she pulled closer to Tenchi's arm.

            "I read a portion of one of the books in my international literature class," Tenchi said as he ordered up the tickets.  "It was very good."

            "As long as you're here," Ryoko cooed, "I will like it."  

            Tenchi smiled to himself as the doorman took their tickets and ushered them inside.  The theaters air conditioning felt delightful compared to the night's warmth.  "Want something to drink?" he offered as they stopped at the concession counter.

            "I'll take an Asahi," Ryoko answered with a bit of a yawn.

            "Two Asahi's," Tenchi ordered.  "Come on," he prodded, holding both drinks, "it's nearly show time."

            "Uh-huh," Ryoko nodded, taking a sip from her cup.  "Let's sit in the back," she suggested as they began to climb the terraced tread in the theater.

            "Okay," Tenchi smiled.  A few seconds later they were situated right in front of the projection room.  After squirming for a few moments, Tenchi slid the armrest between him and Ryoko up, effectively making their two seats one.  After hesitating for a moment, Tenchi slid his arm around Ryoko's shoulders.  To his delight she did not hesitate in leaning back against him.  "Comfy?" he asked quietly, to which Ryoko purred in confirmation.

            After shifting his weight so that he could wrap both arms around Ryoko, Tenchi sighed contentedly.  He had often as of late imagined what this exact moment would feel like, and to be finally living it was blissful.  Ryoko felt so warm in his arms, and the spicy scent of her perfume was nearly enough to drive him wild.  His attention was divided between the saga of Middle Earth and the beauty in his arms, which to him even the fairest elf paled.  Tenchi's eyes were drawn to a glint from Ryoko's.  Her catlike orbs were luminescent in the theaters dim light, which bathed her skin a pale, blue glow.  

            Not a word was spoken as he leaned forward and kissed her. As their tongues explored one another's mouth, Tenchi felt Ryoko's fingers run through the back of his hair, pushing him closer to her.  At the same time his hand smoothed down her side and across her stomach before coming to rest on her knee.  Ryoko moaned happily as he squeezed her knee, before he began to explore his way back up her body.  She deepened the kiss when Tenchi pressed down on her taught abs, before he ever so slowly inching his hand back up her torso.  After hesitating for a moment, Tenchi reached up and cupped Ryoko's breast through her shirt.

            Tenchi momentarily broke the kiss to see Ryoko's reaction to his brazen move, if any.  "I love you," she said softly.

"I love you too," he whispered before leaning back into the kiss.

            Tenchi watched Ryoko in the rearview mirror again as the lights of Kurashiki faded behind them.  She was dozing with her head leaned up against the window, splaying her cyan hair in what Tenchi thought was the most adorable mess.  A soft half snore, half purr escaped Ryoko as she shifted in the car seat.  Tenchi could feel his smile broaden as he stole yet another glimpse of Ryoko.  His Ryoko.  _'I can't believe I'm finally saying that,'_ he thought as a pair of headlights whizzed by.  

            The impressions of her lips on his lingered in his mind, as he recalled the watching the movie, or better their attempt at watching a movie.  And the fact he was actually brave enough to sneak a feel of her body without her prodding him along like she used to do amazed him.  _'Used to do…'_ Tenchi thought.  _'She hasn't blatantly come onto me like that since the other night, and now that I think of it, she hasn't done that too much since I've been home either.  Maybe I wasn't the only one who grew up over the past year.'_  Tenchi laughed at himself, remembering how just a few months back the thought of caressing Ryoko's body, much less making out with her during a movie was as alien as the beauty sitting next to him. 

            "Whatcha thinking about?" Ryoko asked, turning around so that her head rested on the seatback.  _'He is so handsome,'_ she thought as Tenchi was illuminated by a set of oncoming headlamps.  

            "About tonight," Tenchi said honestly.  "I had a wonderful time."

            "I enjoyed the movie," Ryoko said demurely.  "A lot."

            "So did I," Tenchi said with a small chuckle and a beaming smile. _'Not that I saw much of the movie…'_

            "I don't want this night to end," Ryoko sighed as Tenchi opened the car door for her.

            "I know," Tenchi said softly.  "May I walk you to the door?" 

            "Uh-huh," Ryoko said softly with a giggle, taking his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder.  "I had so much fun," she cooed.

            "We'll have to do it again," Tenchi said, guiding her towards the flagstone path from the carport shed.

            "I'd like that."

            "So would I," Tenchi said with a smile.

            "Tenchi?" Ryoko asked, as they stopped at the doorstep.  "What's the matter?"

            "Well…" Tenchi fidgeted, "this may seem odd, seeing as we live in the same house…"

            "Yes?"

            "It's a tradition to give the girl a good night kiss…"

            "I think that's a good tradition," Ryoko purred as she twisted around to face him.

            "So do I," Tenchi breathed before leaning into Ryoko's embrace.

            Ayeka glanced at the old station clock hanging on the wall.  "Where could they be?" she said the worry ringing true in her voice.  The antique, which did not keep the most accurate time in the universe, was one of her brothers' favorites.  And judging from its patina hands, she had heard Tenchi and Ryoko drive up nearly twenty minutes ago.

            "I heard them drive up," Sasami yawned.

            "I hope nothing happened to them," Ayeka worried, while even worse thoughts tried to creep into her mind.

            "I doubt it," Washu said with a mocking grin.  "The house isn't that far from the carport."

            "I'm going to look for them," Ayeka said.  Sasami and Washu just shrugged as the worried princess laid her book on the coffee table and slipped her feet into her slippers.  _'I hope nothing as happened to them…it can be dangerous out at night…'_

            Ayeka stopped in her tracks as she opened the front door.  To her surprise Tenchi and Ryoko were in the midst of a rather heated and passionate embrace.  A flush quickly rose to her cheeks at the sight, but she fought the urge to break up the display of affection between her former rival and would-be suitor.  Quietly, Ayeka closed the door, not to disturb her friends.  Old feelings not quite dead yet began to bubble up inside her, but Ayeka could not fault either of them.  _'I'm glad that they are finally happy together but still…' _Her only tinge of regret was that is was not her in Tenchi's arms right now.

            "Are they all right?" Sasami asked, seeing the somewhat melancholy expression her sister was wearing.

            "I'd say there just fine, right?" Washu asked.

            Ayeka cracked a small smile and nodded.  "That they are."

            "Well they need to hurry up!" Sasami chirped.  "I want to know how everything went!  I bet it was so romantic!"  With that she hopped down from the couch and headed towards the door.

            "Now Sasami!" Ayeka said quickly as her sister sped away, being trailed by a bounding cabbit.  "Do not…bother them…" she warned as she heard the door creak open then be promptly shut.

            "Eeewww!" Sasami whined, screwing her face into the most adorable scrunch, which Ryo-ohki mimicked with a 'Miya!'

            "I said do not bother them," Ayeka admonished in a hushed tone.

            "I doubt she bothered them," Washu laughed, taking a peek from behind the wooden window blinds.  

            "Miss Washu!" Ayeka admonished tersely.  "Respect their privacy!"

            "Those two?" Washu laughed, sauntering towards the door.  She peeked out at the sight of her daughter entwined with Tenchi under the porch light.  "I don't think a Terrellian wombat in labor could bother them!" she laughed opening and slamming the door a few times.  "See?"

            "Miss Washu!" Ayeka squeaked as she shooed the pint-sized scientist back to the den.  "I cannot believe the two of you!" she reproached.   

            "That's gross," Sasami said, peeking from behind the blinds.

            "Get over here right now young lady!" Ayeka scolded.  

            "All right…"Sasami whined.

            "Miiiiiiya…." Ryo-ohki added as she padded along behind Sasami.

            "I have the whole night on tape if you want to watch…" Washu whispered to Sasami.  

            "Really!" Sasami squeaked, her eyes sparkling.

            "Absolutely not!" Ayeka protested.  "I'm ashamed of the both of you," she scolded.

            "Okay, okay," Washu cackled.  

            "Awe…" Sasami moaned to a stern look from Ayeka.  "I mean that's not nice Miss Washu." 

            "Traitor," Washu accused, as she turned her attention from fuming elder and the giggling younger princess' back to the television.

            Ayeka was about to say something in admonition when they heard the door creak open then quietly close a few seconds later.  Everything became deathly still as Tenchi and Ryoko strode hand in hand into the hall besides the living room.  

            "Hi guys," Tenchi said sheepishly as Washu and Sasami gave him and Ryoko the largest cat-like grins.  

            "Yeah," Ryoko seconded, not even wanting to know Washu was thinking behind that grin at the moment. 

            "Did you have a good evening?" Ayeka asked politely.

            "I'd say they did!" Washu whispered to Sasami who just giggled.

            "So how was dinner?" Ayeka asked after glancing back towards to Sasami and Washu.

            "It was nice," Ryoko said as she and Tenchi took a seat across from everyone on the smaller sofa.  '_What?'_ she mouthed at Washu who was running her hands through her hair and tugging at her shirt collar.

            "Was it windy tonight?" Sasami asked innocently.

            "Not really," Tenchi answered.  "Why do you ask Sasami?"

            "It's just that your hair looks like it was really windy tonight," she answered.  "That's all."

            Tenchi and Ryoko paled as they cast sideways glances at each other and saw just how disheveled they were.  "It was very windy," Ryoko covered as she finally caught the gist of Washu's monkeyshines and straightened her shirt and hair.

            "It was," Tenchi tried to laugh, but wind couldn't explain his shirt being un-tucked nor the lipstick he saw on his fingers after tucking part of his tussled plait back behind his ear.   "Well," Tenchi said with a stretch, "I'm worn out.  Grandpa had me do a lot at the shrine today."

            "And I need a good soak in the onsen," Ryoko seconded.  After exchanging another glance Tenchi rose and headed for the stairs as Ryoko phased from sight with a chime.

            "Those two," Ayeka said, trying her best not to giggle.

            "They are a pair," Washu laughed.

____

            "Cut that out," Tenchi laughed as Ryoko goosed her fingers up his side.

            "Make me!" the pirate threatened, holding a wooden spoon like her energy saber.  "I said stay back!" she giggled as Tenchi defiantly stepped forward.  "Don't make me!"

            "Make you do what?" he asked, stepping closer.

            "This," Ryoko breathed before she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.

            "Oh wow I'm tired," Mihoshi whined as she slid back the portico door leading to the kitchen landing.  She had been on patrol for two weeks straight, caught four space criminals, missed the end of Excel Saga, and had botched her landing again.  Her socks sloshed as she dripped across the hall.  "I hope Washu won't be mad at me when I ask her to dry out Yukonojo again..." she mumbled as she rounded the corner and saw Tenchi and Ryoko kissing.  After blinking absently for a moment, Mihoshi carried on towards the first floor bath, when the image she had just seen registered on her.  Back stepping to where she could crane her neck around the corner with out being noticed, she double-checked to just make sure she really did see Tenchi and Ryoko kissing, but they were not there.

            "How strange," she mumbled, not quite sure what to make of things.

            "What's strange?" Ayeka asked, trying not to laugh at the look of utter confusion that blanketed Mihoshi's face.

            "Its that…w-what I mean is…I think I…it could have been…" the blonde officer stammered, trying to decide just how to tell Ayeka that she saw Tenchi and Ryoko kissing without breaking her heart.

            "Spit it out dear," Ayeka said with a laugh.

            "Well…" Mihoshi fidgeted.  "Promise not to be mad?"

            "I promise," Ayeka swore.  _'Anything to find out what she's babbling about.'_

            "I saw Tenchi and Ryoko kissing," Mihoshi squeaked out, hanging her head in shame.

            "Oh," Ayeka said quietly, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks.

            "You're not mad?" Mihoshi asked, peeking out of one eye after a second of expecting Ayeka to be livid.

            "Well," Ayeka began slowly, "it is what two people do when they are courting…"

            "Oh…" Mihoshi said blinking a time or two.  "Uh, did I miss something Ayeka?"

            Ayeka laughed to herself as she realized Mihoshi had left for patrol a few days before this had all begun.  _'She does not know…'_ Escorting the dripping blonde to the sofa, Ayeka walked Mihoshi through the events of the past fortnight.  Ayeka watched intently as Mihoshi digested the story.

            "And you're not mad?" Mihoshi asked quietly.

            Ayeka bit her bottom lip at the question.  "I am happy for them," she began, with a heavy sigh.  "But it does hurt," she admitted.  "I wanted Tenchi for so long, and to see her in his arms is more than I can handle at times.  But I know that being angry with them would not be fair to them or me." Mihoshi nodded quietly as Ayeka wiped an errant tear.  "I was scared, Mihoshi," she confessed.  "I was scared at first that I would not have a place here any more.  But that was unfounded.  I know Tenchi does not return my feelings, but he does love me, and that was of the greatest comfort."

            "So you're okay?" Mihoshi asked solemnly.

            "I am okay as I can be," Ayeka said.  "It still hurts, but each day it hurts less.  I have a wonderful family, and just because I did not win Tenchi's heart, I did not lose my family.  And that's what is important."

            "It'll be all right," Mihoshi sniffed as she gave Ayeka a rather soggy hug.  

            "I know it will be," the princess admitted, returning the embrace.  "I know it will be."

___

            Katsuhito cracked a small smile as he peered through the corner of the window blinds in his office.  In the past month and a half since his grandson finally followed his heart he had quietly watched the romance between his heir and the former demoness grow.  He was also proud of how they had been acting around Ayeka.  He knew his sister went out of her way to give the couple as much privacy as possible, if for anything to spare her own feelings.  But it was how Tenchi and Ryoko did little things, that made let Ayeka know she was loved, and still very much part of this family that truly struck him.  

            Katsuhito allowed his smile to momentarily dip into a frown.  He partly blamed himself for Ayeka's anguish on many fronts.  He knew full well the consequences of leaving Jurai all those years ago, and even more so when he decided to stay on earth after Tsunami had granted him that vision.  What he could not have predicted was his sister being drawn into his family again.  _'If I had stood my ground,'_ he reflected, _'and not allowed mother to block Tenchi's memories of Ryoko, Ayeka would have been spared this heartbreak.  I only pray she will forgive me one day for my part in these events.'_

The elder priest chuckled as he watched the pattern Tenchi was sweeping move steadily closer to Ryoko.  Before long he was shoulder-to-shoulder with her, and not long after that had stolen a kiss from her cheek.  Katsuhito smiled to himself as Ryoko repeated Tenchi's tactics, but instead of a kiss on the cheek she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.  His smile quickly faded as Tenchi returned the embrace, and the kiss became more heated.

            With a loud clack that caused both of his amorous wards to jump, Katsuhito slid back the rice paper door to his office.  "That is enough you two," he said sternly.  "This is a place of solemn worship, not a romantic hideaway."

            "Sorry Sensei," they atoned together.

            "Now Ryoko," Katsuhito ordered, slowly treading the steps down from his office.  "I need you to finish around the gate," he said motioning towards the torii.  "And Tenchi," he said sternly, turning to face his ward.  "I need for you to fetch the bucket of red paint and a brush from the shed.  The lattice work on the office needs touching up."

            "Yes sir," Tenchi nodded, casting a wistful sideways glance towards Ryoko.

            "I'll be watching you two," Katsuhito announced as he slid the door to his office shut behind him.

            Tenchi smiled warmly as Ryoko gave him a mock pout.  "Knock it off," he said with a laugh as she slowly floated towards the torii.  Ryoko could be so precious at times, and that little mock pout held a lot of sway over him.  But he knew that every member of the family had caught them like that so far.  In fact, it had become a running joke, especially with Sasami.  Whenever some one would ask where the pair had sneaked off-to, she would scrunch her face in mock disgust.  That is that is needed to tell whomever asked what was going on.

            Tenchi squinted in the dim light of the shed as he began to rummage for the old coffee tin that the paint brushes were kept in.  "Where is it?" he mumbled.  "It's got to be here somewhere…"

            "I'm right here…" a soft voice purred into his ear as he felt a pair of slender arms wrap around his chest from behind.

            "Ryoko!" he said in a hushed tone, spinning around to look her in the eyes.  "Grandpa said for you to stay at the shrine!" he said, looking around for the aforementioned priest.

            "I am," she said coyly.  "Or at least a double is…"

            Tenchi smiled, as he understood what Ryoko meant.  He had seen her split in two or three doppelgangers a time or two before.  "I see…" he whispered as he drew her into an embrace.  "Where did we leave off…" he asked, leaning into another kiss.

            "Right here…" Ryoko whispered, taking his lead.

            "Uh-huh," Tenchi mumbled as he backed into the set of shelves sending a few containers and tins falling to the floor, scattering their contents including the paint brushes including the previously sought after paint brushes.  Tenchi slid his hands down Ryoko's back as she pulled him closer to her.  A giggle escaped her lips as he squeezed her buttocks through the wool of her hakama.

            "I love you," Ryoko whispered as Tenchi slowly nibbled on her earlobe.  "Hmmmm…" Ryoko let go with a cat like purr.  "I could take us back to the house," she proffered, hoping that Tenchi would consent.  "We could have a little more privacy and maybe…" she added in a sultry tone.

            Tenchi swallowed hard in an attempt to keep his will power intact.  "I want to," he said between kisses on her neck, "but I…"

            "I understand," Ryoko whispered.  She knew Tenchi would advance their relationship when the time was right, and she respected that.  It was just moments like this drove her wild and tested her will to its limits.      

            "We should get back before we're missed," Tenchi said, giving her one last kiss on the lips.

            "That you should," Katsuhito said with no amusement in his voice.

            "Uh-oh," Tenchi sighed as Ryoko laid her forehead on his shoulder.

            "We're in it now," she said softly.

            "Uh-huh," Tenchi chuckled as Katsuhito marshaled them back to the shrine.  The old priest walked two steps behind them, lecturing them on the proper time and places for romantic escapades, thoroughly stressing that a Shinto Shrines storage shed was not one such place.  

            "Now the work will go faster," Katsuhito laughed, seeing the look of dismay on the doppelganger Ryoko's face as the original was marched back into the shrine yard.  "The two of you can finish the yard work while Tenchi scrapes and paints this lattice work."

            "Yes Sensei…" all three of the said in unison.  Tenchi couldn't help but watch as the two Ryoko's continued with the yard work.  The thought of two Ryoko's was more than enough to make him blush, especially when the thought of the both of them in bed would sneak into his mind.  _'Don't start that,'_ he chided himself.  _'You're not ready to do that with one Ryoko let alone two at once…but still…'_

"You're blushing redder than that paint, my son," Katsuhito laughed from his perch on the shrine steps.  "Let the rigors of honest work purify you soul," the sage priest instructed.  "An that goes for you as well, ladies," he added looking up at the twin Ryoko's who had begun to slack off a bit.    

            "But we're tired!" they whined in sync.  "Ten-n-n-n-n-n-chi-i-i-i-i!" they begged in harmony.  "Please make the old man stop!" 

            "Why me?" Tenchi whimpered as his Ryokos kept pleading.

            "I guess the three of you may go," Katsuhito laughed.  "But let this be a lesson well learned." Tenchi and the Ryokos nodded in agreement.  "Because," he said looking at Ryoko who had begun to stick their tongues out at him, "I can always use more help up here."

            "Yes sir…" they said in defeat.

            "Come on," Tenchi said after shaking out the paintbrush in turpentine.  "Lets go home."__

            "Ten-n-n-chi," the two Ryokos said sang as they floated up behind him.  "We're tired…will you carry us home?"

            Tenchi shot a worried glance towards his grandfather who have him a hentai-ish grin.  "My grandson," he said stoically, "you are on your own."  With that he vanished back into the office.

            "Okay," Tenchi agreed after a moments hesitation, praying that his back would survive the descent down the stairs."  

The two Ryokos squealed in delight as they wrapped their arms around Tenchi's neck and nuzzled up against his shoulders.  "This is the only way I'll ever let you have a threesome," they purred into each ear.  Tenchi just swallowed hard and blushed. 

___

            The pitter-patter of soft raindrops pelted the tile roof as Tenchi and Ryoko sat on the sofa watching television.  The first of August had brought late summer rains, and the pair was enjoying a day to themselves.  The house almost seemed too quiet.  Ayeka and Mihoshi had accompanied Sasami to the market, and Washu was up to her usual self-exile in the lab.  The only sound was the rainfall on the roof and the low volume of the television set.

            Ryoko sighed contentedly as she adjusted the lay of her head on Tenchi's shoulder.  "I saw that picture you drew of Ayeka a while back," she said softly.

            "You did?" Tenchi asked, placing his arm around her shoulders.

            "Uh-huh.  It's very good."

            "Thank you."

            "Tenchi?" Ryoko asked in a small voice.

            "Yes?"

            "Will you draw me?"

            Tenchi started to answer, but hesitated.  He had already drawn Ryoko, based off his fantasies of her.  His first fantasy in fact.  That was his comfort zone, a place he could drift back to from time to time and dream safely.  Selfishly, it was a place he wanted to keep to himself.  That, and he knew how much Ayeka cherished being the only one who had a portrait drawn by him.

            "What's the matter?" Ryoko asked, noting the look of disquiet on Tenchi's face.

            "Nothing," Tenchi sighed.  "Do you really want me to draw you?"

            "Of course I do, silly," she teased.

            "It's just that I think that picture gives Ayeka some level of comfort," he said, scooting around so that he was facing her.  "Kind of like a little piece of me that she can claim for herself."

            "Well you're a dreamer if you think I'm going to share you like that," Ryoko said flatly.

            "I don't," he said, drawing her into a hug.  _'Should I show her the picture?'_ he pondered.  "I am yours and only yours," he assured her.

            "I love you," she purred into his ear. 

            "I love you too," he said stroking her back.

            "So you will draw me?" she said, oh so sweetly.

            "When it's not raining," he consented.

            "Why not now?" Ryoko asked, tracing her fingers up his side.  "Come on!" she giggled, as the trace turned into a goose.  

            "Stop that!" Tenchi laughed, returning her tickles.  Before long they were swatting at each other in vain attempts to keep the other from tickling.  

            "You stop!" Ryoko laughed as Tenchi pinned her hands down and goosed her one handed.  

            "You started it!" he panted as she twisted free and lunged for him.  The two of them fell back onto the floor with a resounding thud.

            "You okay?" Ryoko asked as Tenchi regained his wind.

            "Yeah," he breathed.

            "Good…" she whispered softly, leaning into a kiss.  Very quickly things became heated as Tenchi slipped his hands under Ryoko's shirt.  His hands explored her back and sides until his thumbs came to rest under her breasts.   Deepening the kiss as Ryoko pressed her midsection down onto his crotch, Tenchi slipped his thumbs under her bra, allowing her to spill out into his reach.

            Ryoko leaned up a little to give him better access.  She moaned softly as his thumbs caressed her pert nipples.  The look in their eyes spoke volumes.  Each seemed to tell the other that they were ready.  Sensing this, Ryoko slid her legs down so that she was straddling her love.  She could feel his arousal well now, and she was sure he could feel her warmth through her jeans.  

            Taking the initiative Tenchi reached forward and loosed the button on her jeans and slid the fly down, revealing the black fabric of her underwear.  "I want you," he said softly, toying with the elastic band.

            "And I want you too," she said with a feral grin, showing more than a hint of fang.  "Badly."

            "Uh-huh," Tenchi moaned as she began to grind her hips into his crotch.  Too much more of this, and Tenchi believed he would likely have an accident.  "Should we go some where more private?"

            "I'm happy here," Ryoko purred, on a down grind that made Tenchi inhale sharply.  "Here and now."

            "Uh-huh," Tenchi said, pulling her back down into another kiss.  

            "Is that all you can say?" she teased, pulling away from him.

            "Uh-huh," he said with a playful grin.

            "Oh you!" she growled.  Ryoko slowly, teasingly, traced kisses down from his lips to the collar of his shirt.  She wanted him so badly, and finally he was ready for her.  The thought sent electric chills down her spine.  Every so carefully, she began to loose his belt and unfasten the buttons on the fly of his slacks.  Both of them shared a glance as the intimacy of the moment fully weighed upon them.  After so many years, so many intrigues and rivalries, she was going to finally consummate her love for Tenchi.

            Then the phone rang.

            "Dammit!" Ryoko growled as Tenchi let out a deflated sigh.  "That's not fair," she pouted, collapsing onto his chest.

            "I guess I should get that," Tenchi said rather reluctantly.

            "If that's Ayeka calling to check on us…" Ryoko growled.  

            "Masaki residence," Tenchi said catching the phone on the last ring before the answering machine picked up.

            "Tenchi!" came the excited voice from across the line.

            "Hisashi!" Tenchi said with a smile.  "What's going on?"

            "Nothing much.  Just relaxing here with Toka before class starts back in a few weeks."

            "How is she?" Tenchi asked before placing his hand on the receiver.  "It's my friends Hisashi and Toka," he whispered to Ryoko.

            "Lemme have the phone!" Tenchi heard as Toka took the phone from Hisashi.  "That girl still isn't waiting on you, is she?" Toka asked.  

            Tenchi chuckled as he heard Hisashi protest loudly in the background.  "No," Tenchi said with a smile, "she's not.  In fact Ryoko is here right now."

            "Good boy.  Here's Hisashi back."

            "I'm so sorry," Hisashi apologized.

            "No problem Tenchi laughed.

            "Anyway, let me get the point.  Toka and I want you and Ryoko to come to Hawaii next week.  You know, a little vacation before class starts back.  Can you do that?"

            "I don't see why not," Tenchi said with a smile.

            "Good.  I'll have my dad's company arrange the travel," Hisashi said happily.  "I'll email you the details.  Take care!"

            "You too," Tenchi replied.

            "What did they want?" Ryoko asked curiously as Tenchi replaced the receiver.

            "Oh, nothing much," he said drably.  

            "Oh."

            "You don't have any plans for next week do you?" he asked knowing full well the answer.

            "Why?" she said with a coy grin.

            "Oh, we were just invited to spend a week with Hisashi and Toka in Hawaii.  Do you want to go?"

            "With you," Ryoko said, wrapping her arms around Tenchi's neck, "I would go anywhere…especially Hawaii."

            "It's set then," Tenchi laughed.  "Hawaii, here we come."

To be concluded…in 'Paint the Sky.'

Notes:

There you have it folks.  Chapter five is finished, and chapter six shall conclude this tale.  Just to let you know, the second half of this chapter was intended as a montage to show Tenchi and Ryoko's relationship grow, covering the span of about a month and a half.  My deepest thanks go out to my online friends who helped with this chapter.  Ya'll put up with a lot from me, and I am eternally grateful.  Ya'll are truly the best.  And to the readers, ya'll are the best readers an author can have.  Your reviews and emails have been sincerely appreciated.  Thank you again.  So, one more chapter to go.  See you then.

William 'Thundergod' Nichols 


	6. Paint the Sky

"Tenchi Muyo!" and all characters herein are the property of Pioneer and AIC save those created by the author.  All the warnings from the previous chapters apply to this one as well.

Daydreams 

Chapter Six: Paint the Sky

            Tenchi sighed as he tried to make himself more comfortable in his seat.  Hisashi had arranged top-notch travel for him and Ryoko, flying them first class non-stop on JAL from Tokyo to Honolulu.  The only draw back of the flight was its eight and a half hour endurance.  The seats on the Boeing 777 were wide enough and plush enough and the video screen in each seatback helped to alleviate the boredom. Even with all of this, Tenchi just could not make himself comfortable, unlike Ryoko who had conveniently nodded off the moment the planes tires left the runway.  For the past seven hours Tenchi had been reflecting on the summers many revelations and noting the other passengers on the flight.  Most were families on one last vacation or businessmen going to the U.S. for some reason or another.  

            Tenchi glanced over at Ryoko as she rolled over in her seat.  She looked so peaceful when she was asleep.  A soft murmur escaped her lips as she dreamed some unknown dream.  A soft chuckle passed from Tenchi as Ryoko scrunched her nose.  Things had changed so rapidly for him this past summer.  His family had evolved so much, yet had inherently remained the same.   His great fear of everything coming to an end once he had followed his heart had not come to pass; in fact the opposite had occurred.  The family as a unit was stronger than ever, and the added aspect of his and Ryoko's relationship had provided a new dynamic, a new spark of life.

            Even Ayeka, whom he feared would be shattered by his decisions, had evolved.  He knew that at some level she still hurt form his actions, but she was genuinely happy for them.  Tenchi remembered back to a walk he and Ayeka had shared a few days before.  He had told her how thankful he was that she had stayed, and not gone back to Jurai as he had feared she would. It was Ayeka who had then brought forward the metaphor of the family evolving, much like a caterpillar into a chrysalis, then into its final form.  She had come to realize that just because one part of the family had changed, fundamentally they were as close as ever, maybe even more so.  On earth and in this house particularly she was just Ayeka, not the crowned princess of the most powerful empire that had ever existed.  Everyone loved her for who she really was, not for the title she held.  That is why she told Tenchi that she had stayed.  It is because she was loved as Ayeka, and she could be her self, even more so now.  Her and Ryoko's friendship, which had always been veiled and strained by their competition for Tenchi, had blossomed openly. One constant though, was that they both seemed to delight in teasing him from time to time. 

            Tenchi stroked Ryoko's hair after she shifted around in her seat and nuzzled up against him.  

            "Hello mister," a small voice said from the seat in front of him.

            Tenchi looked up to see a bright eyed child of no more than five years smiling back at him.  The little boy was standing on the seat cushion and his small hands were pulling up on top of the back rest so he could see over it.  "Hello," Tenchi replied.

            "Are you two going to Ha-wi…Ha-wi…the beach too?" he finally squeaked out.

            "Yeh," Tenchi said with a warm smile.  "We're visiting some friends."

            "That's nice," the little boy smiled.  "You have a pretty wife mister," the boy added.  "I like her hair."  Tenchi felt a small flush rush to his cheeks at the child's words.  Allowing himself a smile and a soft chortle, Tenchi leaned back into his chair.     

            "We're not married," Ryoko said rousing from her nap, "yet" she added with a playful undertone.

            "Oh," the little boy said, losing none of his chipper smile at this revelation.  "You will be one day," he added before settling back into his seat.

            "He's right you know," Ryoko said, nuzzling back up against Tenchi.  

            "I think he is," Tenchi said, laying his head atop Ryoko's.  Lacing his fingers through hers, Tenchi sighed softly as sleep reclaimed Ryoko.  The rest of the flight followed in relative calm.  Once again Tenchi allowed his thoughts to drift to his family, his Ryoko, and what the future may hold in store for them all.

______

            "JAL Flight Seventeen-Oh-One, from Tokyo to Honolulu now arriving, gate eighteen," a female voice announced over the intercom at Honolulu International Airport.  Scads of tourists in loudly colored Hawaiian shirts and baggy shorts crowded the terminal as Toka and Hisashi waited on the passengers to disembark.

            "I can't wait to see Tenchi again," Toka said as the first of the brightly clad throng of passengers began to disembark.  "That and I finally get to meet Ryoko."

            "I do to," Hisashi said, craning his neck as he spotted a tall young lady with oddly colored hair.  "I think I see them."

            "Hey!" Tenchi called out as he spied Hisashi and Toka standing in the concourse.  

            "Is that them?" Ryoko asked softly as Tenchi began to steer them towards the pair.

            "Yup," Tenchi chuckled.  "Inoue Toka, Jonouchi Hisashi," he began, "I would like you to meet Hakubi Ryoko."  

            "Pleased," Hisashi said with a short bow while Toka nodded.

            "Tenchi's told me so much about you two," Ryoko said as they began to navigate the crowded concourse.  "I understand you talked some sense into him Toka," she added giving Tenchi a sly grin.

            "Just a little," Toka laughed, holding her hands about a foot apart.

            "I'm not that bad," Tenchi said in a mock tone of disbelief.

            "Yes you were," Ryoko teased as Toka and Hisashi sniggered.

            "So what do you two want to do first," Hisashi asked as he helped Tenchi gather his and Ryoko's luggage from the turnstile.

            "I've never been to Hawaii before," Tenchi replied as he hefted Ryoko's suitcase onto a cart.  "You're the tour guide here."

            "I need a new bathing suit," Ryoko said, sliding the strap to her travel bag over her shoulder.  "You could use a new one too," she added smiling at Tenchi.

            "Sounds like a shopping trip to me," Toka said, knowing just where to go.

            "I get cold chills every time she says that," Hisashi whispered to Tenchi right before Toka slapped him upside the back of his head.

            "I heard that," Toka scowled as Ryoko snickered beside her.

            "You're on your own," Tenchi laughed as Hisashi looked to him for help, then back at Toka.  "Come on," he laughed, "let's go."

____

            "Don't you think that bathing suit is a tad small?" Tenchi asked as Ryoko laid a tiny powder-blue bikini out on the bed.  Their shopping trip had been a fruitful one, yielding several new suits apiece. 

Ryoko just smirked as Tenchi walked across the room and raised the wood framed window.  Hisashi had given them the guest house for their stay, calling it the 'little house.' The two-story bungalow was located on his father's estate, just east of Diamondhead.  As Tenchi opened the white stained shutters, he thought small was a relative term.  The two-story bungalow had all of the amenities of a full sized house, including a full kitchen, and separate living and dining rooms.  The upper floor was occupied by a master bedroom and bath, with a smaller bedroom to the side with twin bunk beds, obviously for when members of Hisashi's extended family came for a visit.  The view out over the hillside was dense and green, not the evergreen of the hills around Okayama, but a brighter, more fragrant tropical green.

"I thought you would like it," Ryoko said coyly, holding the top with its twin, albeit small, triangles of fabric up to her chest.

"I do like it," Tenchi said, imagining just how little the suit would cover.  The look on his face expressed his only concern.

"I know if anyone gets lewd," Ryoko said as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulder, "you'll set them straight."

"I think I'm going to be busy," Tenchi smiled as he felt her breasts press into his back and her deceptively strong arms lace around his torso.

"So what about tonight?" Ryoko broached, scenting the heavy flavor of salt on the cool breeze.

"What do you mean?" Tenchi said, not exactly sure what Ryoko was inferring.

"I mean," she sighed, not just how to voice her concern.  _'We've come so far, and I don't want to scare him away…'_  "There's only one bed in here," she finally spat out in a hushed tone. 

"It'll be fine," Tenchi said reassuringly.

"I mean I can sleep in one of the other room-" Ryoko began before Tenchi's words sank in on her.  "It will be?"

"Yeah," Tenchi said, "it will be."  Ryoko smiled and let out a small sigh as he hugged her tightly.  "Let's go to the beach."

___

            Tenchi tilted his head so that his mirrored sunglasses slid down on his nose a little ways allowing him to look out at the stark white beach and cobalt water unhindered.  Smiling, he watched Ryoko and Toka splash in the incoming surf.  The weather was balmy and the sky clear blue, interrupted only by the occasional milky condensation trail left by a high flying plane.  _'So beautiful,'_ he thought as Ryoko jumped into an oncoming wave and effortlessly rode it back to shoreline.

            "Are you sure you've never been to the beach before?" Toka asked as she trudged on in knee deep surf towards Ryoko.

            "Yup," Ryoko smiled as white foam formed around her ankles before it was sucked back out into the endless mass of blue.

            "Well, you rode that wave like a pro," Toka laughed.  "Most people would have been knocked on their butts!"

            _'Most people don't have Ryoko's abilities either,' Tenchi chortled to himself._

            "Beer man!" Hisashi hollered as he returned with four clear bottles of golden ale, each with a slice of lime protruding from its mouth.

            "Thanks," Ryoko said, plopping down next to Tenchi on his beach towel, which was adorned with little cabbits and carrots.  "It's so beautiful here," she said, taking one of the ice cold bottles.

            "Japan has beautiful beaches too," Hisashi said, "but these islands hold a certain mystique."

            "I agree," Tenchi said, poking the slice of lime down into the bottle of beer.

            "What are we doing tonight?" Ryoko asked as she drained the last golden drops from her bottle.

            "I know some folks that are throwing a luau," Hisashi said.  "I told them I had some friends coming over from all over the place and they said 'come on'.  So, do you two want to go?"

            "Sounds like fun," Tenchi said as Ryoko nodded along in affirmation.  

            The rest of the day passed relatively quickly for Tenchi and Ryoko, Hisashi and Toka as they enjoyed the waning hours of evening light.  Tenchi smiled as he thought how glad he was that no one on the beach stepped out of line towards Ryoko.  He knew he would have stepped in, but he also knew Ryoko would have taken care of things before he could.  In the back of his mind he had envisioned some poor fellow being knocked into next week for some lewd call or action towards her.  All most did was give Tenchi an envious look, before having to convince their significant others that they were not gawking. Even Hisashi had fallen victim to another smack to the back of the head from Toka when he had first seen Ryoko in her bathing suit.

            The luau was held at a small park near Waikiki.  The sun had since set, and the last molten red bands of sky were lingering on the horizon, not wanting night to fully claim this day just yet. An almost full moon was high in the newly night sky, and the ocean was awash in silvery light.  The first pewter gray fingers of clouds had begun to lace across the orb of the night by the time everyone arrived at the park. 

            Ryoko watched through the window in awe as Hisashi parked his small Honda SUV and everyone got out.  Small torches lit the area, washing the mass of brightly colored shirts and dresses in an orange light.  The sounds of drums hammered in a tribal cadence echoed across the beach and a throng of people were near a stage similar to a beach teahouse watching a grass-skirted fellow twirl a fiery stave.  "This way," Hisashi instructed, pointing to one of the long tables.

            The group meandered their way through the crowd until they came across one of the tables occupied by a few people.  "Everyone," Hisashi began, gesturing to Tenchi and Ryoko, "these are my friends from Japan, Tenchi Masaki and Ryoko Hakubi."  The group exchanged salutations as Hisashi introduced each of his friends.  Most were from Hawaii, but a number of them from other parts of the United States Tenchi noted, places called New York, Ohio, Alabama, Texas, and one all the way from Great Britain.  All had come to the islands this week for vacations, and all seemed to have come at Hisashi's beckoning.

            Dinner seemed to pass all too quickly as the night wound on.  Music and food, coupled with dance and drink made the evening a blur.  Before the night ended Tenchi and Ryoko took to the dance floor for the final dance of the evening.  Both were entranced by the other, illumined only by moonlight and tiki-torches.  The song may have only lasted a few minutes, but the moment transcended time.

  It was early in the morning by the time the group returned home.  Toka had driven, seeing as she had drank the least, and was wrestling a still tipsy Hisashi up the stairs.  "You two take care," Toka said as she steadied Hisashi long enough to get a firm grip on the sliding door.  "We'll see you in the morning."

            "All right," Tenchi said.  He too was feeling a little under the influence, and had an arm snaked around Ryoko for support.  The two waited for Toka and Hisashi to disappear fully from sight before Tenchi pulled Ryoko into a deep kiss.  

            "Hold on," Ryoko whispered into Tenchi's ear.  Before he could reply, Ryoko teleported them directly to the bedroom of the guest house.  

            "Thanks," Tenchi said before giving Ryoko one more quick kiss.

            Ryoko just smiled as she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for bed.  All the time, she could not help but think how much she had enjoyed today, especially being with Tenchi.  When she opened the door back to the bedroom, Ryoko found Tenchi waiting.  He quickly kissed her on the lips and ushered her out before her ducked into the bathroom himself.  Ryoko just chuckled as she phased over to the bed side and slipped under the covers.  The room was very dark, and only the slightest sliver of silver moon could be seen from behind the clouds that had moved in even more than earlier.  Ryoko sighed and smiled as she waited on Tenchi to come out, but he seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time.  The longer she waited, the more Ryoko worried.  Old fears and insecurities, which had nearly been buried, began to sneak their way back into her subconscious.  Dark images began to fill Ryoko's mind just as she felt the mattresses springs rebound from Tenchi laying down on them.

            "What's the matter?" he asked, seeing Ryoko lying all the way over to the other side of the mattress.   Her silent answer did little to ease his mind as she scooted over to her.  "Ryoko," Tenchi said softly, "what's wrong?"

            "You're not mad at me?" she asked softly, as Tenchi drew her backside into his chest. 

            "Not in the least," Tenchi said, somewhat confused.  "Are you ok?"

            Ryoko smiled.  "I was just burying the last of some very old demons."

            "That's good," Tenchi said, pulling her even closer to himself.  "I don't think I could be upset with you right now if I had to be."

            "Wrapped around my little finger," Ryoko giggled, as she shifted around in her lovers embrace.  "I love you," she said softly.

            "I know," Tenchi said, before showing his affections with a kiss.  

            Ryoko scooted closer to him as the kiss deepened.  "Hmmmm…" she muttered as she slipped a knee between Tenchi's legs.  His hands had found their way under her nightshirt and he had begun to massage her breasts as best as he could.  Ryoko inhaled sharply as Tenchi gently pinched her nipples before smoothing his hands over the erect skin.  "You enjoy those," she giggled into his ear.

            "Uh-huh," he said as she began to feel around the front of his boxer shorts.  Tenchi's hands fell still as Ryoko petted him through his boxers.  He was straining against the flannel of the boxers, and the tip of his penis was peeking through the fly of the shorts.  Tenchi's breathing became a little ragged as Ryoko fondled him.  "Just becareful," he said quickly in response to one of Ryoko's more forceful gropes.

            "Sorry," she atoned, slipping him fully back into his shorts.

            "It's ok," he said in a hushed whisper, pulling her into an embrace.

            "Mm-hmm…" she said, nuzzling her cheek against his.  "I love you," she said in a drowsy whisper.

            "I know," Tenchi said as he petted the back of her head.   "I know."  Ryoko's only response was a soft purr-like snore.  Tenchi held Ryoko close to him while he waited for sleep to claim him.  As he did, shadows of swaying palm branches danced across the wall opposite him.  Tenchi was thinking that the scene would make a lovely painting for one of his classes, when he remembered he had brought his drawing of Ryoko with him.  It was snuggly tucked away in his suitcase, away from prying eyes he hoped.

            _'I'll give it to her tomorrow,' Tenchi promised himself as his eyelids became heavier and heavier.  _'And maybe even she'll want me to draw a new one…'__

____

            Ryoko woke long before Tenchi did.  As she lay there, she listened minutely to the sound of his breathing and soft snoring.  Every aspect of Tenchi was comforting to her.  His arms were still wrapped around her chest in a loving cuddle and she could feel the gentle warmth of his exhales on the back of her neck.  All was right in the world when he held her.  All of her past anguish and torments seemed inconsequential compared to what the future held in store for the two of them together.

            "About time you woke up," Ryoko said softly as Tenchi began to rustle behind her.

            "That's a fine 'good morning'," he said playfully.

            "Oh hush," Ryoko returned.  "It looks so nice outside today."

            "Then let's get ready and see if Hisashi survived his hangover," Tenchi laughed, grabbing the blankets up from the bed and taking off with them towards the bathroom.

            "Come back here!" Ryoko exclaimed, as she chased Tenchi down and quickly tackled him.  "You're not getting away from me without a good morning kiss!" she warned sternly.

            "Like this?" Tenchi asked, drawing Ryoko into what she had requested.

            "Just like that," Ryoko affirmed, before leaning back into the kiss.

            The morning trip to the beach was interrupted by thick layer of clouds that rolled in right before noon.  The weepy, gray masses of nimbi had borne the first signs of an afternoon rain shower which would put the damper on anything related to the beach.  

"What now?" Tenchi said as he folded the last of the beach towels and tossed it into the back of Hisashi's SUV.  

            "We can wait it out," Hisashi said, shielding his eyes with the plane of his hand, "we can go home and watch a movie, or we can go into town."

            "I like the last one," Ryoko said, wrapping her arms around Tenchi's neck and laying her chin in shoulder.

            "What about the rest of you?" Hisashi asked as he closed the clamshell tailgate to the vehicle.  "It doesn't really matter to me what we do."

            "Sounds fine to me," Toka said, as Tenchi nodded along.  

            "Then let's get going," Hisashi laughed.  

            "Are we boyfriends or beasts of burden?" Hisashi asked Tenchi as they sat down of the ledge of a fountain in the center court of the shopping mall they had decided to visit after lunch.  The girls had promised it would be a quick trip to pick up a few items.  That was three hours and many bags and boxes ago.

            "They're worth it," Tenchi chuckled as Toka and Ryoko headed for another store.  

            "Yeh," Hisashi agreed.  "We're pretty lucky," he said with a smile.

            "You're right," Tenchi said, watching the smile on Ryoko's face.  "Thank you for helping me see what I was missing."

            "You just needed a swift kick in the pants," Hisashi laughed.  "And after dinner that night, I think Toka would have eagerly obliged."

            "I was pretty dense," Tenchi said nonchalantly.

            "Dense, thickheaded, clueless…" Hisashi began, ticking each trait off on a finger.  "But I'd say you did all right."

            "I would too," Tenchi said.  _'And I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything.'_

___

            Soft rain pelted the roof as Ryoko sat back onto the plush floral patterned cushion that covered the rattan sofa.  Everything was so peaceful here with just the two of them.  The luau the day before had been great, but today had been marred by light rain showers. To beat the rain, they had gone site seeing in Honolulu, and shopping in one of the larger malls.  That had been fun, especially the exasperated looks on Tenchi and Hisashi's faces as the bundles of boxes and bags increased after each store.  _'Tenchi told me to get what I wanted,' _Ryoko defended mentally.  _'Maybe later I can show him some of the stuff Toka and I bought in that one boutique…'_ she thought iniquitously of her more risqué purchases.

            Ryoko sighed softly as she clicked the television on.  "There still showing Dragonball reruns over here?" she laughed as she channel surfed.  Truth be told, the past two days had been heaven sent.  The fact that Tenchi had openly welcomed the idea of sharing a bed with her, and that they had cuddled all night made her so happy.  _'Only one thing could have been better,' she thought._

            "If only that phone hadn't wrung," she laughed to herself, remembering the goings on of a week ago.  "I wonder what's keeping 'lover boy'?" he sighed, casting a glance up towards the spiral staircase.

            Tenchi ran a towel through is hair, knocking off most of the moisture from the shower. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach as he glanced over to his travel bag in the corner.  After pulling on a pair of khaki's and a shirt he produced the covered pencil board from his travel bag.  Flipping the cover open, he slipped the picture he had drawn back in Hiroshima of Ryoko.  Chewing his bottom lip, Tenchi decided that he would show it to her finally.  Replacing the slipcover, Tenchi slid the board under his arm and made his way down the stairs to the bungalows lower level. 

            "It's about time you came down," Ryoko teased, never looking away from the television.

            "What gave me away?" Tenchi laughed as he sat down at the far end of the sofa from her.

            "Whole bunch of things," she explained, beginning to tick reasons off on her fingers: "Stomping down the stairs like an elephant, the smell of your aftershave, any number of things."

            "I just can't sneak up on you, can I?" he playfully taunted.

            "Nope."

            Tenchi sat in silence for a moment before he remembered he had the slipcase under his arm still.  Absently he began to fidget with its flap, trying to decide what the best way to broach the subject of the picture.  Everything he thought of seemed cliché and corny to him.

            "Whatcha got there?" Ryoko asked after a heavy sigh from Tenchi caught her attention.  With out saying a word, Tenchi handed her the slipcase.  After reading the note from the professor that was clipped to the cover, Ryoko timidly slid the board out.  Tears brimmed in her wide eyes as she saw the drawing of herself Tenchi has done.  "Oh my," she finally muttered.

            "I did it back in the spring," Tenchi said softly.

            "It's gorgeous…" Ryoko said, almost too softly to be heard.  "You did this?"

            "Yeah," Tenchi said sheepishly.

            "From memory?" she asked, tracing a finger across the curve of the drawings shoulder.

            "Kinda," Tenchi confessed.  _'It's not exactly the truth, but it'll do…'_

            Ryoko smiled warmly at the thought that Tenchi dreamed of her.  Sliding the board back into its case, she carefully placed it on the glass-topped coffee table.  "Thank you," she breathed, wrapping her arms around him.  "That is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever given me."

            "Well," Tenchi said, stroking her back, "I was hoping I could draw a new one…"

            "You really want to?" Ryoko asked, pulling back to look him in the eyes.   

            "Yes," Tenchi said resolutely, but tenderly.  "I really want to."  

Ryoko pulled him back into a hug.  "Thank you," she whispered into his ear.  "Can I pose like I am in the picture?"

"Yes…" Tenchi said, tightening his part of the hug.  All of his dreams of Ryoko posing for him, the pose that sparked the love in his heart, rushed back to him.  _'Gods…I'm sounding like one of dad's bad shojo mangas,'_ he laughed to himself.

"I'll be right back," Ryoko said, disappearing with a chime.  Instantaneously she reappeared in the bedroom and plopped down on the bed.  Her heart was fluttering at the prospect of Tenchi sketching her.  The thought of his earlier drawing flashed across her eyes, lingering like an after image.  Calming her nerves a bit, Ryoko began to gather herself.  

"What to wear…what to wear…." she mumbled aimlessly as Tenchi's drawing once again flashed before her eyes.  A Mihoshi like giggle rose to her lips and Ryoko had to fight off the urge to jump and down like a three year old. Her Tenchi was going to sketch her, just for her!  "He drew me before," she said happily.  _'Gods only know how many times I've wanted him to!'_ she thought with a wicked grin.

With a thought Ryoko's clothes disappeared from her body with a chime and reappeared neatly folded on the bedside.  Admiring herself in the mirror, Ryoko chuckled.  "You're still one sexy demon!" she laughed remembering all those years back.  Opening the dresser, Ryoko looked for the just the right thing.  A red and black silk robe was pulled from the drawer and laid on the bed.  Ryoko then sat back down on the edge and drew one of the small bags from her shopping trip off the floor.  Pulling the pink tuft of tissue paper from its mouth, she produced a pair of black lace thongs and a matching black strapless brassier.  Nipping the tags off with her teeth, Ryoko frenetically tossed the refuse aside and shimmed into the thongs.  After several failed attempts to get the bra's back clasps to catch, Ryoko sat down on the bed in frustration.

"Breathe," she warned herself.  Taking a few deep breathes; she gave the clasps one more try before she tossed the brassiere aside.  "He's seen them before," she laughed before disappearing and then reappearing in front of the bathroom vanity.  Lightly touching up her makeup, Ryoko took a bottle of perfume bearing a red and black tartan across its top bearing the name 'Burberry' from her makeup bag.  She dabbed some of the scented liquid behind each ear and wrist, before drizzling a little between her breasts.

"Make that one _very sexy demon," Ryoko said after examining herself one last time.  An instant later she reappeared by the bedside and slipped on the robe and tied its sash in a quick and loose knot.  After starting to teleport down to the den, Ryoko decided on second thought to walk down the stairs instead._

While Ryoko was upstairs Tenchi had been busy readying his art supplies and utensils.  He had hurriedly pulled closed all the blinds and draperies and he had repositioned the floor lamps to cast their light as best he could.  It was not a perfect studio, but it would have to suffice.  _'I'll do an even better one when we get back!' he thought as he pulled the coffee table towards the rattan chair he was going to use.  Once seated Tenchi opened his small art pack and began to lay out the assortment of pencils, crayons, and charcoals out onto his makeshift easel.  _

Slipping his sketch book from its slipcase, Tenchi flipped past all the previous still lives and figure studies until he came to a new page.  This was the same book that he had used when he had sketched out his dream, and then for Ayeka's portrait as well.  Tenchi smiled at that thought.  The book had now come full circle, much as he had.  It had held his dreams, it had seen him been told to follow those dreams, and now, it was there when his dreams were going to be realized.  Tenchi smoothed the heavy cotton-bond page down with a tack cloth, knocking off any errant dust or loose fibers.  Satisfied that all was in order, he picked up a medium pencil and began to twist it into a drum shaped sharpener.    

It was then that he heard the door at the top of the stairs creak open and the soft pad of footfalls as the wooden stair treads creaked against the nails that held them in place.  The first Tenchi saw of Ryoko was her ankles, then calves as the stairway spiraled down.  His heart skipped a beat when the treads passed behind the central column and blocked her from his sight.  A scant second later she reemerged from her unwanted eclipse.  Tenchi swallowed hard as he got his first true glimpse of the goddess descending in front of him.  The red silk robe she wore was edged in black and had golden accents in the form of delicate cherry blossoms woven lightly into the silk.

Tenchi could feel the warmth flood into his cheeks as they reddened and his pulse quickened even more.  He had seen Ryoko dressed seductively before, and even flagrantly come after him in the nude, but never had he reacted as so before.  Not a word was spoken between them as Ryoko made her way over to the settee across from Tenchi and gracefully sat down.  

While Ryoko situated herself Tenchi realized he had been sharpening the pencil all the while, and now all that remained was a nub.  "Oh well," he chuckled sheepishly, as he held the diminutive pencil up for Ryoko to see.

"Be careful with that one," she teased as Tenchi began to hone another pencil.  "How should I pose?"

Tenchi looked up and bit his bottom lip in thought for a second.  "Let the robe drape down from your shoulders a bit," he instructed.

"Mm-hmmmm," Ryoko said, as she loosened the sash a little and allowed the supple fabric to slide from her shoulders, exposing the ridge of her collarbones and inner curves of her bosom.  "Like this?" she prompted.

Tenchi looked up and his heart nearly stopped.  The picture before him was more vivid that any he had ever seen before.  Time seemed to slow and everything became hyper-defined for him as he took in the sight of Ryoko posing for him, just as he had dreamed.  "Yeah," he said weakly, reaching out with a trembling hand towards the sketch book.  _'Hold it together!'_ Tenchi scolded himself.  Finally after a few deep breathes he managed to calm himself enough to begin, but his nerves had not gone unnoticed.  

Ryoko remained as stationary as possible while Tenchi began his work.  But beneath her poised exterior her insides were tying themselves in knots.  All of her confidence and bravado had bled away.  _'He's not scared of me,'_ she doubted, _'is he?'  _She cautiously watched Tenchi's body language and began to worry the inside of her bottom lip with her fang. 

Tenchi tried to keep his eyes focused on his sketch book as much as he could.  Each little glance up allowed some snippet of his imagination to return to one of his myriad of fantasies.   _'Dammit! Stay focused!' _he cursed inwardly.

_'He is scared,' Ryoko thought as she watched Tenchi's left knee develop a nervous tick, which he was obviously trying to keep in check.  It was taking Ryoko every ounce of her willpower to keep from crumbling emotionally as Tenchi continued to refuse to look at her.  His blank stares at the book in front of him and the seemingly random jerks of his wrists as he sketched her form comforted Ryoko little.  _'What went wrong?'_ she cried inwardly, remembering all the progress their relationship had made in the past several months.  _'It's all my fault,'_ she worried.  _'I've ruined everything…'__

Tenchi stopped drawing when he noticed a small shudder reverberate through Ryoko.  Her gaze was turned down and a barely audible sniffle came across the short gulf that separated them.  _'What's the matter?'_ he wondered. 

Ryoko glanced towards Tenchi when she noticed the soft scritch of his pencil had ceased.  Neither of them new how much time had gone by, just that the other was staring.  With a loud sniff Ryoko straightened her self back up and Tenchi slowly began to sketch anew.  Both inwardly wondered what they had done wrong to elicit such reactions from the other.  Tenchi was certain he had screwed up and Ryoko knew she had scared him off.  Neither of them had noticed that Ryoko's robe had slipped down, revealing the dark flesh of her left areola and the tip of a firm nipple.

Tenchi glanced up to check a contour when he spied the exposed flesh, darting his eyes from Ryoko's to her breast and back.  She weakly smiled, and reached across to close the robe back.  In doing so, the other side slid down, revealing even more of her other breast than the tiny bit exposed before.  Sniffing loudly, Ryoko tried to gather her robe back up when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.  Looking up, her eyes met Tenchi's.  He had sat the sketch book down and knelt by her side.  His heart ached to see her scared or dejected as she was now.  All he wanted was for her to be happy, and he would do what ever he could to make that happen. Delicately, Tenchi slid one side of Ryoko's robe back to her shoulder, and then the other.  Once done, he smiled warmly at her.

"What's wrong?" Tenchi asked in a concerned tone.  "Have I done something?" he added, his voice breaking a little at the end.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"What ever for?" Tenchi asked, not understanding.

"I was moving too fast," Ryoko said in one breath.  "I didn't mean to scare you…" 

"I'm not scared," Tenchi said softly.  "I could never be scared of you."

"But you were shaking," Ryoko sniffed.

"I was just nervous," Tenchi admitted.  "It's just that this…this…"  Ryoko's face scrunched in befuddlement as Tenchi sighed and shook his head.  "This is how my dream went," he admitted to an even more confused look from Ryoko.

"Dream?" she inquired, in a perplexed tone.

"The one that inspired the picture," Tenchi clarified.  

"Oh," Ryoko said, gaining a bit of insight into Tenchi's nervousness.  "So it's not me?"

"No. Never," Tenchi assured with a hug.

Ryoko smiled and stymied her last sniffle. "You dreamed about me?" she asked demurely.

Tenchi rubbed her shoulders, feeling the knot of stress that had built in them. "The first of many," he said, his age's old blush flooding back to his cheeks.

Ryoko smiled a little. "You dreamed about _Me?" she asked, feigning disbelief._

Tenchi chuckled softly as Ryoko's eyes broadened. "Yes, you," he added, tapping her nose with a finger.

Ryoko sniffled as her heart sang.  "Me."

Tenchi felt a lump form in his chest as he drew her close to him.  "Even though they stole my memories from me, they couldn't take you from my heart," he whispered into her ear. 

"I love you," Ryoko said, returning his embrace.

"I love you too."

While Tenchi continued to hold her, a smirk crept onto Ryoko's face.  "Did you say 'many'?"

Tenchi laughed softly as he leaned in to kiss her.  "I love you so much."

Ryoko smiled in return and wrapped her arms around Tenchi's neck, pulling his head onto her shoulder.  "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you," Tenchi said, sitting up onto the rattan settee to be at eye level with her.  "I love you more than you can imagine."  Ryoko just pulled him back into a hug before Tenchi leaned into a kiss.  The kiss started slow and tenderly, each of them savoring the others taste as it lingered on their tongues.  Ryoko moaned as Tenchi's hands smoothed over her back, one cradling the base of her neck, and the other resting right above her buttocks.  Her hands found their way around him, clawing at the muscles in his back through his shirt.  It did not take much for their embrace to become heated.  Soft moans and groans escaped them both as their tongues explored each others mouths.  After a moment or so Tenchi slid one hand up and caressed Ryoko's breast through the soft silk of her robe.  His thumb paused on her pert nipple, wishing that the scarce layer of fabric was not there.   Sensing this, Ryoko took Tenchi's hand in her own and guided it into her robe, giving him free access to her bosom.  

Ryoko moaned even more as Tenchi massaged her breast, going between cupping and squeezing the supple mound of flesh.  Tenchi then slid his other hand up Ryoko's side from her breast and knocked her robe back, exposing her clavicle and shoulder.  Gooseflesh raised her back as Tenchi ghosted a series of kisses and nibbles from her earlobe down her neck to her shoulder.  "Ohhhhh," Ryoko moaned softly as Tenchi sucked on the tight flesh of her shoulder, before tracing his kisses back up to her neck.  With her free hand she began to explore his body as he nipped at her earlobe.  She explored the musculature of his chest, feeling the firmness of his pectorals for moving down to firm plane of his stomach.  Her hand lingered above his belt for a second before Ryoko glided it down to feel his groin.  

Tenchi's breathing became heavier and more labored as Ryoko groped him with a firmer grip.  She could tell he was excited, just as much as she was, may be even a little bit more so.  Ryoko pushed Tenchi's shoulders back against the sofa and slid her legs over him so that she was now straddling him, allowing herself to grind her pelvis into his.  By now her robe had been discarded completely, lying in a crumple of red and black, revealing the sheer lace of her panties.   

Tenchi allowed his hands to explore all of Ryoko now that she was in front of him.  Slowly, he worked his hands down her arms, all the while tenderly kissing the side of her neck.  He momentarily laced his fingers with hers before he darted his hands over to her hips.  Ryoko exhaled heavily as Tenchi groped her rear end and pulled her down onto him.  As Ryoko slowly began to grind her hips into his, Tenchi slid his thumbs up under the bands of her panties, and then up her slender sides to cup the bottoms of her breast.  They felt so warm and fluid to him, while being firm and smooth at the same time.

"You're driving me crazy," Ryoko said breathily into his ear.

"That's good," Tenchi teased as he began to circle her nipples with his thumbs, "because you're driving me wild."

"I meant it," Ryoko affirmed in a sultry tone.  "I really want you."

Tenchi paused for a second while he decided for the last time that he was ready to take their relationship to the next level.  "I want you too," he said with an air of confidence that six months ago would have been impossible.

Ryoko smiled and pulled Tenchi into a loving hug.  As she held Tenchi close to her, she shed tears of joy.  All her hopes and dreams were about to come true.  She and Tenchi would be one as they never had been before.  Together, they would share the ultimate expression of their love for one another.  How this would change the dynamics of their lives, Ryoko neither knew nor did she care at the moment.  All she wanted was for this instance to be frozen in time.  As wistful as that seemed, both knew that this would be a night that they would always cherish.  Easing her embrace, Ryoko gently kissed Tenchi on the neck, before resting her head on his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" Tenchi asked when he saw Ryoko wipe away the glistening streaks running down her face.

"Uh-huh," she answered.  "I'm just happy."  Tenchi smiled and gently kissed Ryoko on the forehead.  "I love you," she said.  

Tenchi's reply was unspoken, but the look in his eyes was more than an unspoken 'I love you.'  His eyes shown with a fire that have ignited heaven itself as Ryoko gazed into them.  During the odyssey of emotions that was the past few months, he had come to a greater understanding of himself and the woman he loved.  He knew it was neither a childish infatuation nor just an adolescent lusting.  He loved Ryoko with every fiber of his being.  Having his memories gifted back to him only solidified his resolve.  Tenchi's heart sank momentarily as he remembered the night they were returned.  He had hit rock bottom, fearing his own stupidity had cost him his love's heart.  Now he stood at the pinnacle of that love.       

Tenchi raised his arms as Ryoko tugged the hem of his shirt free from his trousers and began to pull it off of him.  Tossing the shirt aside, Ryoko dragged her fingernails down his chest, before easing off him and kneeling on the floor.  Tenchi inhaled sharply as Ryoko began to kiss his pectorals, taking a moment to lavish a kiss on his nipples as well.  Ghosting kisses down his abdomen, she looked up seductively when she reached the waist of his pants.  

Tenchi nodded in encouragement as Ryoko began to fumble with the button fly.  Slowly, she eased each button from its hole, finally opening the fly.  Ryoko shot Tenchi a feral, sultry look when done; then fluidly moved back atop of him.

"Wouldn't the bed be better?" Tenchi asked, toying with the front fabric of Ryoko's panties.

"Later," Ryoko said in one breath before she kissed him heatedly.  Tenchi returned the kiss with equal vigor.  Neither of them wanted to lose this moment.  Ryoko felt her heart pound in her chest as Tenchi ran his hands from her back down to her buttocks and back.  His pheromones were nearly overwhelming by now.  Each breath she took drew more of him into her: his scent, the both of their pheromones, and the smell of their erogenous zones.

Tenchi pulled Ryoko close and tried to shift his weight on the couch, allowing them the freedom of being reclined.  Ryoko extended one leg to the floor to steady them, but in the heat of the moment the move only unbalanced them.  Right as they began to tumble off the couch Ryoko instantaneously phased them to the floor, never missing a moment of passion.  Tenchi's fervor only increased once they were unencumbered by the confines of the divan.

Ryoko slid her had into the fly of his boxers, feeling the warmth irradiating from him.  "Are you ready?" she asked, almost in a pant.

"Only if you are," Tenchi said, reaching up to stroke the side of her face.  Ryoko nodded as he placed his hands on her knees while she pulled his member out of the boxers fly.  Tenchi held his breath as Ryoko slid the fabric of her panties over revealing the glistening moistened folds of her love.  Their eyes met as she gently guided him into herself.  

Tenchi let out a long exhale as the warmth of Ryoko's vagina washed over him.  The heat of their desire radiated from them in palpable waves as she started to rock her hips back and forth.  Tenchi added a little motion to the mix, thrusting upwards as much as he could.  His heart was racing faster than it ever had before.  Every muscle in his body was sending the same signal to his brain as Ryoko ground into him.  Tenchi grunted as he tried to relax those muscles, in what would ultimately be a futile attempt to stave off his climax.     

Ryoko's breaths were coming short, ragged inhales as she rocked on top of Tenchi's groin.  The sensations of him being inside of her were nothing short of amazing.  The rapturous frictions of his light thrusting combined with her gyrations provided just enough stimulation to her clitoris to send shudders speeding up her back. She saw the strained look on Tenchi's face and knew that this sensation would not last for much longer.  To help him endure, Ryoko slowed her motions a little.  Even as she did so, Tenchi reached his breaking point.

In one great bucking thrust Tenchi came inside of Ryoko.  He had tried to hold back as long as he could, wanting to savor every second of Ryoko's warmth as she slid up and down on him.  With a primal grunt, Tenchi felt the charge of his seed leave him.

Ryoko breathed in heavily as she felt Tenchi's ejaculate spurted inside of her.  The rush of heat was unexpected, and surprisingly encompassing.  A shiver passed across her body as the warmth rapidly sublimated, leaving a feeling of totality.  

The rush of intercourse drained them both.  Ryoko eased her body down atop Tenchi's chest, pressing her still firm breasts and nipples into his chest.  Tenchi gently kissed her on the lips and drew her cheeks close to his.

"I'm sorry I didn't last longer," he atoned as Ryoko began to nibble on his earlobe.

"It's ok," she purred.  "You were just fine.  More than fine," she encouraged.

"I love you," Tenchi said tenderly.

"I love you too," Ryoko said, as a thought crossed her mind.  "Do you still love Ry'ko?" she teased.

"More than ever," Tenchi stated.

"She'd like to hear that too…"

Tenchi chuckled softly.  "I love you, Ry'ko," he said with a smile.

"Really?" Ryoko asked in a feigned small voice.

"Yes.  Really," Tenchi confirmed.  "I love you more than life itself."  The both of them laid there contently for a while.  Neither Tenchi nor Ryoko wanted to moved, for fear of want of not being near the other.  Tenchi smiled and thought pleasant thoughts as Ryoko nuzzled her cheek against him.  She was his Ryoko; his Ry'ko.  He felt like a piece of his that had been missing, even so after his memories were returned to him, and finally it came home. 

"Love you," Ryoko said softly as he stroked her back.

"Mm-hmm," Tenchi said.  He shifted his weight under Ryoko a little, letting him ease his knees somewhat.  Tenchi's mind was racing as he held her.  Every second of the experience was flash burned into his mind. The warmth, the moistness, the motion; the totality of filling a void he never knew existed.  Tenchi slid a hand down one side of Ryoko's buttock as felt the still moist fabric of her thong.   He knew that she could have been more comfortable, but the moment was too perfect to waste with trivialities.  Feeling the smooth skin her inner thigh, Tenchi noticed that Ryoko was still very moist, and just as importantly, he felt his own erection begin to rise again.

"What's the matter?" Ryoko cooed as Tenchi began to shift under her.  

"Just doing things right," Tenchi said as he sat up and she rose to her knees.  Ryoko gave him an inquisitive look as he fastened the top button on his khakis.

"Tenchi?" she asked, just before he scooped her up in his arms.

"Like I said," he began before kissing her softly, "I'm doing things the right way."  Ryoko smiled broadly and wrapped her arms around Tenchi's neck as he began to ascend the spiral staircase up the bungalow's master suite.  Fresh tears of joy streaked her face as Tenchi took each step carefully, keeping his precious cargo in mind.  With each step Ryoko thought of her life, how she went from being a child to demon space pirate, then to tortured soul, then to a competitor for the heart of the only person she had ever truly loved.  Now with out a shadow of a doubt she was the sole recipient of that love.  She felt alive.  Moreover, for the first time she felt human.  Tenchi saw nothing but a young lady that he had professed his undying love to.  She was just Ryoko.  His Ryoko.         

Tenchi gently laid her down on top of the comforter and knelt beside her.  Their lips met once again in a heated kiss as he fumbled to kick off his shoes.  Ryoko moaned softly and raked her fingers across his bare back as Tenchi reached down and unfastened the sole button holding his trousers up, allowing them to fall down around his knees.  Ryoko frowned for a second as he stood up and stepped out of the pants before he resumed his position above her.

"Am I still driving you crazy?" he said into her ear.  All Ryoko could do was nod as his hot breath sent gooseflesh spreading down her neck and arms.  

"Oh yeah," she finally managed as Tenchi began to trace kisses down the side of her neck, then to her sternum before focusing in on one breast.  Ryoko shifted her hips under him as he drew his tongue around the puckered flesh of her areola.  With a smack, Tenchi encompassed her nipple and surrounding flesh with his mouth.  Ryoko tried to take long deep breaths as Tenchi flicked his tongue across her nipple and gently suckled on the peak of flesh.  Between her legs was becoming more and more moist by the second, and his penis was pressing through the fabric of his boxers and her panties in just the right spot.  More soft moans and purrs escaped Ryoko when Tenchi shifted focus to her other breast, lavishing it with the same loving attention it opposite had received.

Tenchi saw the look of ecstatic anticipation Ryoko face as he ran his tongue down her belly.  He smiled when giggled at him playing with her navel.  "I've always wanted to do this," Tenchi said, rising up to his knees, "so bear with me."  

Ryoko gave him a puzzled look until he extended one of her legs and began kissing her ankle.  "Ohhhh," she moaned as he teasingly kissed and nibbled all the way down to her inner thigh.  Tenchi slowly nuzzled Ryoko's groin, tantalizing her every second, before he took her other leg and began the process over.  "You tease," she playfully admonished as Tenchi made his way back down her other leg.  This time, Tenchi raised Ryoko's bottom up from the bed and slid her underwear off.  Ryoko placed a hand between her legs, hiding herself from his sight as he slid her feet free of the elastic bands.

"Awe," Tenchi playfully pouted, as Ryoko kept her hand in place, but his smile soon matched her mischievous grin when she tantalizing slid her hand up from her vulva, smoothing over her stomach before cupping one of her breast.  "You're beautiful," Tenchi said lovingly.

"My handsome prince," Ryoko said, as Tenchi lay back upon her and kissed her fully.

Tenchi grinned and began to slowly, teasingly, trace kisses down the side of her neck, between her breasts, and then down her tummy.  His lips paused just above the small patch of slightly darker cyan hair that rested atop her most erogenous of zones. Tenchi heard Ryoko inhale heavily as his lips brushed the short curls of fur.  Tenchi slid his arms around Ryoko's hips to allow himself an unfettered view of her.  The sight of the smooth skin between Ryoko's legs and the first signs of her inner lips peeking out from her cleft excited him even more so.

"Go on," Ryoko encouraged as Tenchi gently spread the wings of her love apart, to where her genitalia resembled a blossoming flower.  Her heart rate increased drastically as he first probed inside her with his finger.  Tenchi lightly touched the velvety, glistening skin, eliciting pleasured moans from his lover.  He wanted to know every aspect of her, the texture of the skin, every fold, and every ridge; marveling at how such a seemingly nondescript part could hold such a mystic aura.   

Tenchi knew he had found the spot he was looking for when Ryoko's hips began to quiver.  The little nub of pink flesh was almost indistinguishable from its surroundings, but he knew it was the right spot.  Remembering where it was, Tenchi began to lightly kiss the tender flesh of Ryoko's vagina.  The slightly salty and earthy taste splashed over his taste buds as his tongue caressed her innermost parts.

"Oh my…" Ryoko moaned as Tenchi's tongue lighted on her clitoris.  She moaned throatily as Tenchi continued to kindle her fire.  Each lick or flick of his tongue sent a new wave of intense sensations speeding though her body.  Ryoko was glad that Tenchi had hooked his arms around her thighs and hips, because that was the only thing restraining her to the bed at this point.  "Tench-i-i-i-i-i-i!" she whined as teased her even more.  "Please," she added in a high pitched beg.  Ryoko screamed in ecstasy as she felt her inner barriers snap, opening a floodgate of pleasure like she had never felt before.

Tenchi gently kept his arms around Ryoko's hips as she started to buck wildly.  He knew she had to be close to release when she screamed his name in euphoric bliss.  As her motions stopped, Tenchi pulled himself back up to eye level with Ryoko.  Her bangs were plastered to her forehead with perspiration and her chest was rising in great heaves, struggling for each breath.

"That was incredible," she said, kissing Tenchi lightly on the lips.

"I'm glad," he chuckled.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Ryoko asked.  

"Just listening to guys brag and sneaking dad's video collection from time to time," he admitted.

"You little hentai," she teased.  Tenchi just smiled and cuddled up next to her.  "Are you hard?" she asked sultrily into his ear.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Then why aren't you in me?" 

Tenchi smiled kissed Ryoko again, tracing his tongue across her teeth.  Sitting up to his knees, Tenchi began to pull his boxers off.  Once unencumbered, his full length strained forward to find the sanctuary it wanted.  Their eyes locked as Tenchi knelt back down.  Ryoko spread her legs for him, welcoming what was to come.  Tenchi took Ryoko's hand and brought it up to his lips for a tender kiss, before he guided it to his manhood, allowing her the honor of showing him the way.

Tenchi shivered as the sudden rush of warmth from her vagina washed over him again, but this time it was more intense than before.  The velvety texture of her insides clung to his erect member, exciting him even more than the time before.  Tenchi savored every sensation as Ryoko's love enclosed him, making him apart of her.  Slowly, Tenchi began to thrust into her.

Ryoko moaned as she felt Tenchi fill her. She was already very excited and sensitive from his oral pleasuring, and now every part of her was hyper-responsive.  The friction of every thrust rekindled the fires of her passions.  As Tenchi gained momentum, she wrapped her legs around him, drawing him closer, allowing him to penetrate her as deeply as possible.  Barriers that had barely returned began to rupture again, sending waves of euphoria coursing through her body.

Tenchi gritted his teeth as Ryoko's finger nails dug into his back.  She was moaning and calling his name in orgasmic ecstasy the likes of which he had only dreamed of before.  Tenchi's pace increased as his heart rate skyrocketed.  His breathing came in great huffs that washed over Ryoko's neck as he felt his own barriers begin to slip away.  "Oh god…" he groaned huskily.

"Tenchi-i-i-i!" Ryoko begged, as another wave of ecstasy rocked her body.  He was driving her absolutely wild in ways she never dreamed of before.  The combination of his earlier cunnilingus and this round of love play were almost too much.  Each thrust gave her new and unfound feelings, almost to the point of sensory overload.

With one final drive Tenchi felt himself orgasm once more.  Expended, he collapsed onto Ryoko, panting for each breath.

Ryoko smiled as the last of her orgasms passed over her.  She could feel Tenchi's erection begin to flag within, but that did not matter.  Ryoko gently stroked his back as she relaxed her legs and allowed him to become more comfortable.  "Thank you," she said softly. Tenchi gave her a perplexed look, but the smile on Ryoko's face eased any misgivings he might have had.  

"For what?" he whispered.

"For loving me," she answered, pulling him into a hug.

"I love you," Tenchi said, caressing her forehead.  "And nothing will ever change that."  A few tears squeezed from Ryoko's eyes as she hugged Tenchi again.      

They lay together all night, their cooling bodies entwined in one another.  Sleep claimed them both, and each rested peacefully, knowing that their hearts belonged to the other, and no one else.  All was right in the universe, the universe created by their love.

____

            epilogue

            "Sister!  Sister!" Sasami called excitedly as she ran down the path leading from the gate of the Masaki residence.  

            "Whatever is the matter?" Ayeka asked, looking up from her sweeping.  She had been lost in thought about Tenchi, but not thoughts of longing.  She had been remembering all the happiness that he had brought into her life, and how much she missed him over the past week.  She had even caught herself missing Ryoko too.

            "We've got a letter from Tenchi and Ryoko!" Sasami giggled, handing the envelope to her older sister.  "I'll go get lil' Washu and Mihoshi!" she squeaked.  

            Ayeka smiled and followed her sister into the house, but at not quite the same pace.  She was excited to receive word from Tenchi and Ryoko, but she also felt a slight tugging at her heart.  

            "So what do we have?" Washu asked taking a seat next to Ayeka as Mihoshi and Sasami piled onto the sofa as well.  

            "Let's see," Ayeka said, carefully opening the letter.  "Everyone," she began to read.  "We hope that this makes it to you before we get back, but if not, oh well.  We've had a great time here, and Hisashi and Toka sends their hellos as well. We have so many stories to tell you when we get back: the beaches, the jungles, the volcanoes; everything!  Anyway, Hisashi has charted a boat to take us to one of the other islands, so we have to be going.  We've sent a few pictures too." Ayeka finished, before reading the letters closing.  "We love all you, and miss you terribly.  Signed: Tenchi and Ryoko."

            "Lemme see the pictures!" Mihoshi bubbled, taking the small deck of photographs from the envelope.  They were all pictures from the island, and a few of the group at the beach.  One was of a couple waving to the camera, labeled 'Toka and Hisashi' in Tenchi's handwriting down the side.  Another was one of he and Ryoko snapped at the beach.

            "Ryoko has never been one for modesty," Ayeka sighed, noting the lack of size to her bathing suite.

            "Quit being a stick in the mud," Washu playfully admonished, taking the pictures from Mihoshi.  "It looks like their having a good time."

            "But I really miss them," Sasami whined.

            "We all do," Ayeka confessed.  "But they will be back soon, and we will all be together again."

End.

Notes:  So there you have it.  Daydreams is over, and I apologize for the long wait on the final chapter. All letters of protest can be addressed to the graduate school at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.  I really hope that you enjoyed my first and definitely not last foray into the worlds of lemons.  This timeline is too fun to leave alone, and it will be revisited, but only after a few other projects are finished.  So in closing, let me thank all of my online guinea pigs, errr, friends, whose encouragement and feedback help make this story what it is.  Also, thanks goes to Diane Long, who scripted a little vignette for this chapter.  Thank you so much.  So, until we meet again, I thank each and every one of you, and please, do not hesitate to tell me your thoughts on this chapter, good or bad.  Thanks again.

William 'Thundergod' Nichols    

vette1701@bellsouth.net

On anther note, the title for this chapter came from one of my favorite songs, 'Heavens on Fire.'  The chorus goes:

Feel my heat, taking you higher

Burn with me, heavens on fire

Pain the sky, with desire,

Angels fly, heavens on fire

******

 ****

In the cold darkness of space evil still lurks.  A thousand worlds burn under the iron heal of one man…

"For seven long years my heart has been as cold as space itself, ever since the day of my darkest defeat, turned greatest triumph.  My soul is as cold as the lifeless steel that is now my arm; my arm taken by that wretched half-breed.

"For seven years I have toiled to bring my vision to reality.  My sacred vision granted by T'K'Mai and presented by her knight, shrouded in black, emblazoned in gold.

"The time has come.  With the chosen of T'K'Mai by my side, I will have my vengeance.  Jurai shall burn.  The champion shall fall.  And the glory of T'K'Mai shall shine throughout the universe.

"For I am K'snis Tectharin, the Changer of Ways, the Despoiler of Worlds, the Thirster for Blood, the Keeper of Secrets; Emperor of all that T'K'Mai has created."    

  The Odyssey shall begin anew in: Fractured Mirror.


End file.
